inaudible
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- inaudibility noun
- inaudibleness noun
- inaudibly adverb
Etymology
Origin of inaudible
Explanation
Inaudible is another way of saying "hushed" or "silent." If you thought the bad words you muttered under your breath were inaudible, perhaps you should've turned off that microphone in front of you! In Latin, audire means “to hear,” so it makes sense, then, that inaudible means “imperceptible by the ear,” since in- means “not.” You should strive to speak in a near-inaudible whisper if you need to talk to your seatmate at the opera, but in normal, everyday conversation, you won’t get your point across unless you talk at a louder volume. Synonyms for inaudible range from faint and muffled to uncommunicative and voiceless.
Vocabulary lists containing inaudible
Common Senses: Aud ("Hear")
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"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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The Diary of Anne Frank
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These high-frequency waves are invisible and inaudible to humans.
From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2025
As she scrabbled for a laser pointer in her large handbag, her coloratura was comically on point, though she was inaudible in her middle range during the cabaletta.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025
At each question, Trump barely nodded his head and, according to pool reports, said a “yes” that was inaudible from my spot in the overflow room.
From Slate • Apr. 15, 2024
I strained to hear what came next but, to my frustration, it was inaudible.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2024
“I wish you was inaudible sometimes,” she said.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
