illegible

adjective

il·​leg·​i·​ble (ˌ)i(l)-ˈle-jə-bəl How to pronounce illegible (audio)
Synonyms of illegiblenext
: not legible : indecipherable
illegible writing
illegibility
(ˌ)i(l)-ˌle-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce illegible (audio)
noun
illegibly
(ˌ)i(l)-ˈle-jə-blē How to pronounce illegible (audio)
adverb

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of illegible in a Sentence

illegible signatures on the petition will be disregarded
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Inscriptions on the walls of the entrance reference the goddesses Isis and Nephthys, but the name of the king buried within the tomb is illegible. — Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2025 By centering her work on the illegible spaces of Lakȟóta ways of knowing, Kite performs an anti-ethnographic logic, which is to say that her work exists—both in real time and in the archive—in a way that is not accessible to a colonial system of organization and study. — Christopher T. Green, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025 With digital labeling, no one has to try to remember who is who in your pictures (or decipher your illegible handwriting scribbled on the back). — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2025 Also that thing where sometimes if text is illegible a model might just invent the text. — Ars Technica, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for illegible

Word History

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of illegible was in 1580

Rhymes for illegible

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Browse Nearby Words

illegalize
illegible
illegitimacy
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Cite this Entry

“Illegible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illegible. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

illegible

adjective
il·​leg·​i·​ble (ˈ)il-ˈ(l)ej-ə-bəl How to pronounce illegible (audio)
: impossible or very hard to read
illegible handwriting
illegibly
(ˈ)il-ˈ(l)ej-ə-blē How to pronounce illegible (audio)
adverb

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