as in incomprehensible
impossible to understand
uttered only a string of unintelligible murmurs
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Recent Examples of unintelligible
The removal of Spears' Instagram account came after years of public concern and defense over her social media presence, in which the pop star has been seen posting dance videos (including with knives), sometimes with unintelligible and bizarre captions.
—
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for unintelligible
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for unintelligible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintelligible
Adjective
-
The scope of the effort is almost incomprehensible, both for its sheer size and persistence on a low-lying peninsula, where the delineation between land and sea has always been somewhat unclear and is becoming less so.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
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In these cases, the equations will predict a fluid moving in some unphysical, incomprehensible way — spinning into an impossibly fast vortex, for instance, or instantly reversing its flow.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Not to mention the titular bugs, a swarm of blood-invading creatures discovered by her new lover, the mysterious drifter Peter Evans (Namir Smallwood).—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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The Columbus, Ohio, police chief is speaking out for the first time since the mysterious murders of dentist Spencer Tepe and his wife, Monique Tepe.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
While airline miles are easier to earn than ever, using them well—and maximizing their value—can often feel confusing.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
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Choose decisive steps over a confusing kerfuffle!—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The Heeler family home is recreated in uncanny detail—from Bandit’s armchair to the backyard barbecue—with interactive games (led by a cheeky garden gnome named Rhonda), music, and secret nooks that delight kids and grown-ups.—
Alli Forde,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Nov. 2025
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Working with rosters that were far from flawless, Bochy demonstrated an uncanny ability to push the right buttons and put players in positions to succeed.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In recent weeks, fans expressed concern after Spears posted dancing videos but opted to turn off comments on posts that had cryptic captions about her kids, Jayden James, 19, and Sean Preston, 20.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dropped a cryptic hint that a blockbuster trade was coming, and after the team acquired linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals, many fans and analysts criticized Jones for overdelivering.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Then there was the play that made many scratch their heads — the one when the Carolina Panthers’ game-tying field goal was blocked only for an esoteric NFL rule to award the Panthers with the ball, a new set of downs and great field position.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Nov. 2025
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The ideological provocations of Madonna (Ciccone) iconography and the esoteric execution of Björk songs meet (again) in Lux’s palette of fixations.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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And in the chaotic months since, clues about Tice’s fate have begun to seep through the walls of Syria’s once-impenetrable prisons and palaces.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
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Yes, only two additional albums in 30 years since his 1995 debut, with a 14-year gap between the second and third, but an impenetrable recipe for everyone from Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar.—
Kevin Powell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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 11 Jan. 2026.
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