illegible

adjective

(ˌ)i(l)-ˈle-jə-bəl How to pronounce illegible (audio)
Definition of illegiblenext
as in unreadable
incapable of being read or deciphered illegible signatures on the petition will be disregarded

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 illegible But the signature was illegible. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 12 June 2026 This illegible language continues to distinguish his works on a global level. — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 28 May 2026 And the document itself is marked up with corrections and disclaimers that facts are incorrect or that context is missing to the point of being almost illegible. — Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 28 May 2026 Willimantic Police provided a handwritten log that was inconsistent and sometimes illegible. — Ginny Monk, ProPublica, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for illegible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegible
  1. unreadable
  2. obscure
  3. indecipherable
  4. faint
  5. undecipherable
  6. unclear
Adjective
  • Investigators said Marine One’s first attempt to contact the tower was not received and its second was broken and unreadable.
    — Pete Muntean, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But the air traffic controller said that transmission appeared broken and unreadable on his end, so the controller seemed surprised a few minutes later when the helicopter took off.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of unreadable
Adjective
  • Given most late-summer midterm-election-year weakness has been more than recovered right afterward, the proper course of action now becomes even more obscure.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In many cases, the robot tail wags the living dog by tricking it—tricking us—into caring about obscure metrics, then gamifying the process of improving them.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of obscure
Adjective
  • That standard still holds for his frequent barrages of boasts, insults, threats, grouses and indecipherable dispatches via Truth Social.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Tubman is all but indecipherable, roughly limned with white paint and covered by red, black, and yellow smudges and drips.
    — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of indecipherable
Adjective
  • This stage begins when the moon enters the faint edges of Earth's shadow, called the penumbra.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • That year, the Perseids will peak in the glare of a waxing moon just four days from turning full, and the moonlight will hide many of the shower's fainter shooting stars.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of faint
Adjective
  • Georgia relies on machines that count ballots by reading QR codes that are undecipherable to humans.
    — Caleb Groves, AJC.com, 29 Apr. 2026
  • The spirit and the symbolism were, at times, undecipherable.
    — The Know, Denver Post, 8 Feb. 2026
Definition of undecipherable
Adjective
  • Whether Newsom will embrace the Legislature’s efforts to corral big Tech in California — in part or in whole — remains unclear.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But climate change's role in melting the glacier and causing the catastrophe is unclear.
    — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of unclear

Browse Nearby Words

illegally
illegible
illegitimacy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Illegible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegible. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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