UNINTELLIGIBLE Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

unintelligible

adjective

ˌən-in-ˈte-lə-jə-bəl

Definition of unintelligible

as in incomprehensible

impossible to understand uttered only a string of unintelligible murmurs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of unintelligible The man responded, but his words are unintelligible in the recording. — Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2026 In a video from Reuters, Charles appeared to laugh off Stewart's comment and said something unintelligible before turning to shake hands with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who also got a chuckle out of the exchange. — Mike Snider, USA Today, 12 May 2026 When infrastructure becomes an on-demand API, spending becomes increasingly unintelligible as multi-cloud adoption further fractures visibility of costs and governance. — Anuj Gupta, Forbes.com, 24 Mar. 2026 Instead, first-time director Fergus Campbell drops us directly into Cleo’s world — no parents, no rules and every authority figure is obscured, like the unintelligible adults in Peanuts cartoons. — Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unintelligible

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintelligible

Adjective

There have been times when acts of atrocity have been going on — and gosh, some of those things are incomprehensible — yet humanity has found a way.

— Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2026
Being joyful there — in the Dominican Republic, where small shacks and houses pieced together by junkyard scraps sometimes hold families with over a dozen members — seems incomprehensible.

— Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 25 June 2026

Definition of incomprehensible

Adjective

The argumentative duo are summoned to investigate a murder in rural Nebraska that has mysterious connections to dangerous extraterrestrials.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 July 2026
Another notable sculptor of fabric (often jersey) was the mysterious Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs), to whom innumerable designers have paid homage, including Yohji Yamamoto, Mossi Traoré, Richard Malone, and Francesco Murano.

— Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 16 July 2026

Definition of mysterious

Adjective

That disconnect may be confusing to consumers and investors who assume the stock market and economy mirror one another, moving in lockstep.

— Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 10 July 2026
Actors play multiple roles, which can be confusing, but red or white roses sometimes worn by the characters help keep us on track.

— Marina Harss, New Yorker, 10 July 2026

Definition of confusing

Adjective

Not a biological twin (although some people do have one or more of those) but a person who bears an uncanny resemblance to an unrelated stranger.

— René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026
With this premise, Brandl brews a heady, destabilizing concoction of uncanny horror and bone-dry humor to depict a man on the brink, whose demons—whether real or imagined—just might be catching up with him.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 July 2026

Definition of uncanny

Adjective

It was filled with brackets and parentheticals, written in different fonts and colors, much of it in capital letters, at once detailed and cryptic.

— Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
His doctors speculated his infection might have been a rare case of cryptic transmission from sharing meals and bathrooms with his coworkers, one of whom apparently had a tapeworm infection.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 June 2026

Definition of cryptic

Adjective

With all that group experience and wealth of individual styles, Play Time try something entirely different for their debut album on the admirably esoteric Balmat label.

— Reed Jackson, SPIN, 3 July 2026
This offers the do-it-yourself warrior a simple, direct route from antiquated lead-acid to state-of-the-art lithium without having to search for esoteric parts online.

— Malana VanTyler, USA Today, 24 June 2026

Definition of esoteric

Adjective

In placing an increasingly expensive and impenetrable wall around Americans and their savings, banks have crucially and understandably developed a substantial amount of knowledge about their customers.

— John Tamny, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
The package depicts the usual impenetrable forest of the GAS packaging in stark, thorny monochrome.

— Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 7 July 2026

Definition of impenetrable

Adjective

Martin’s most poignant moment all season is her inscrutable look as Raskova gazes between Anastasia and Sasha; two people sacrificing themselves for love is unfathomable to her.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 July 2026
Google Books and the Internet Archive represent libraries of unfathomable proportions.

— Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026