as in incomprehensible
impossible to understand
uttered only a string of unintelligible murmurs
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Recent Examples of unintelligible
The vendor said some other things that were unintelligible because of the overlap between her live speech and the lagging translation.
—
Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025
The defense attorney played for jurors a recording of Nicholson, while at the hospital, making what sounded like moaning noises followed by unintelligible and mumbled words.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 6 Oct. 2025
But in an Akan language, the notion that an object could exist as a bare substrate, stripped of properties—say, the idea of a stone, with its weight, texture, and color subtracted—is basically unintelligible; the metaphysical split between a thing and its properties isn’t naturally expressible.
—Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
Inside the chamber, Netanyahu’s speech was met with mixed reactions—unintelligible shouts from some corners, applause from others and silence from the U.S. delegation, which has continued to support Israel’s military campaign.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unintelligible
Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025
The defense attorney played for jurors a recording of Nicholson, while at the hospital, making what sounded like moaning noises followed by unintelligible and mumbled words.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 6 Oct. 2025
But in an Akan language, the notion that an object could exist as a bare substrate, stripped of properties—say, the idea of a stone, with its weight, texture, and color subtracted—is basically unintelligible; the metaphysical split between a thing and its properties isn’t naturally expressible.
—Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
Inside the chamber, Netanyahu’s speech was met with mixed reactions—unintelligible shouts from some corners, applause from others and silence from the U.S. delegation, which has continued to support Israel’s military campaign.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unintelligible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintelligible
Adjective
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For consumers frustrated by disconnected portals, incomprehensible medical jargon and five-minute doctor visits, this feels like a lifeline.—
Sahar Hashmi,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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The film deserves an enormous amount of credit for its sound design, which allows Tuason to turn recordings that would be incomprehensible in less capable hands into something that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats for two thirds of a movie.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The other is a smaller, more mysterious handheld chunk of willow or poplar wood that may have been used to shape stone tools, according to research published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
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But when a mysterious woman opens The Grand Lisbon restaurant, his glittering world begins to fracture, exposing the fragile balance between success, memory, and longing.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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As an avalanche and dead bodies ratchet up the suspense, Zach must lean on his mother’s wisdom to fight for his life while deciphering a confusing undercurrent of danger, violence and betrayal among the survivors.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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Yeah, this is pretty confusing on the surface.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In the work, traditional folklore and marvelous, uncanny incidents are often the sites of resistance against colonialism or enslavement.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The Boy Who Knew Too Much tells the true story of a young boy named Christian Haupt, who, from a very young age, displays an uncanny knowledge of baseball and vivid memories of a past life as Lou Gehrig, the famous Yankee.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Disco, Occasionally, the British superstar’s fourth studio album that’s been teased via a creeping, ongoing rollout with cryptic posters, a WhatsApp chat, listening sessions in indie record shops and a series of city residencies in place of a sprawling global tour.—
Jeff Benjamin,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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The announcement of a new tour and album comes weeks after Styles teased devotees with posters, videos, a cryptic website and an intriguing song snippet starting in late December.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The news flew mostly under the radar, in part because of the esoteric nature of the OCC.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
12 Jan. 2026
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Still, their esoteric acid rock was revered and adored by their huge and loyal fanbase, known as Deadheads.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Getting a loan approved could open doors that were previously closed to you, and receiving help and support from others could melt walls that previously felt impenetrable.—
Steph Koyfman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Jan. 2026
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In a refreshing departure from so many impenetrable Marvel series past, creators Deston Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest expediently fill in viewers on the essential points of Trevor’s backstory.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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God grant me the grace to forgive also, despite my unfathomable trauma.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
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On the contrary, over his previous four games (featuring three Knicks losses), Towns shot 4-of-9 from the field against the New Orleans Pelicans, 5-of-10 against the San Antonio Spurs, 6-of-16 against the Philadelphia 76ers and an unfathomable one-of-four against the Detroit Pistons.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unintelligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintelligible. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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