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

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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 Death penalty states generally allow last statements from the execution chamber, but Texas catalogs the prisoners’ last words online, except for vulgar and racist language or what sounds unintelligible. — Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 20 May 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for unintelligible

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintelligible

Adjective

But given the profundity of her subject matter and the near-universal awe her art inspires, perhaps this sense of futility gestures at the incomprehensible, even transcendent aura around Petviashvili’s works.

— The Editors of ARTnews, ARTnews.com, 28 July 2026
Here are three stars that appear neatly connected overhead, but in reality, one is separated by an incomprehensible distance.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 24 July 2026

Definition of incomprehensible

Adjective

Wei and his colleagues have proposed a new physical path to the mysterious function.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2026
Now, IndieWire can exclusively share the poster for the studio’s first new film since 2019, which features an eye-catching image of the main character Prue and the film’s mysterious main antagonist, Alexandra.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of mysterious

Adjective

Jean appears to be the first character in that reset, which is confusing because the old versions of various X-Men characters are still here.

— Eliana Dockterman, Time, 31 July 2026
Meanwhile, thousands more are waiting in county jails for cases that are winding through a new, convoluted and confusing system where geography controls the rules.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of confusing

Adjective

Corsini and Massimo Vavassori’s script is needlessly cryptic at times, leaving the central figure too much of an abstraction.

— Dennis Harvey, Variety, 30 July 2026
Ella Rubin stars as Annie Jacobson, a high schooler who stumbles into a mystery when her grandfather dies and leaves her an island in Canada—along with a cryptic letter.

— Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 27 July 2026

Definition of cryptic

Adjective

Of course, Yamagata is a long way to go just to peep some jellyfish, so combine a visit with the misty temples of nearby Dewa Sanzan, three mountains sacred to the ascetics of the esoteric Shugendo religion.

— Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2026
To waste all these resources on some esoteric arty thing, that’s when the schism started to happen for me.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 29 July 2026

Definition of esoteric

Adjective

At a time when Disney’s once-impenetrable Marvel Cinematic Universe has been exhibiting concerning signs of wear and tear at the box office, Spider-Man is getting more and more powerful.

— Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 July 2026
The Phalanx was composed of men who moved and fought as one cohesive unit, creating an impenetrable wall of interlocking shields.

— Steve Muscato, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Definition of impenetrable

Adjective

The unfathomable crime is made even worse because Horner worked for years as a choral teacher in an Oceanside elementary school, Donnelly said.

— Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 29 July 2026
Google has reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2026 (PDF), and as usual, the search giant raked in an unfathomable amount of money.

— Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 23 July 2026