illegible

[ ih-lej-uh-buhl ]

adjective

1. not legible; impossible or hard to read or decipher because of poor handwriting, faded print, etc.:

   This letter is completely illegible.

illegible

/ ɪˈlɛdʒɪbəl /

adjective

1. unable to be read or deciphered

Derived Forms

• ilˌlegiˈbility, noun
• ilˈlegibly, adverb

Other Words From

• il·legi·bili·ty il·legi·ble·ness noun
• il·legi·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of illegible¹

First recorded in 1605–15; il- ² + legible

Example Sentences

The inscription on her headstone had become so illegible that, prompted by a local campaign, masonry restorers were brought in to spruce it up.

From BBC

There is an illegible history that you only really learn growing up in a place.

From Salon

For example, personal information on a ticket stub could be replaced with illegible letters, or a private building exchanged for a fake building or other landscape features.

From Science Daily

All other bullet points in the list of content limitations are photo-moderation rules addressing illegible or copyrights images.

From Salon

But the federal watchdog found that illegible IDs were submitted to HHS in more than a third of the cases analyzed during that time.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• indecipherable
• unintelligible