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 Word Forms

• 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

Also, a machine-learning model of the script was created to restore the illegible and damaged texts, paving the way for further research.

From BBC

"They were tasked with delivering 17 million pieces of mail that had been just thrown into hangers, that had been mouldy and a lot of the names on the letters were illegible," he said.

From BBC

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

Related Words

• indecipherable
• unintelligible