Word
garbled
Phoneticsgar·bled, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɡɑɹbəɫd/
UK/ɡˈɑːbəld/
Definition
adj. mixed up and hard to understand. You use it for speech, writing, or a signal that has mistakes or unclear sounds.
adj. distorted or confused so that the original meaning is unclear or misleading, especially through transmission errors, poor reception, or faulty retelling. Often describes speech, text, or data.
Examples
“The phone call is garbled and I miss half the words.”
“The station announcement is garbled, so passengers crowd around the screen to check the platform number.”
“Through the failing radio came only garbled fragments of the rescue order, forcing the team to guess at coordinates that could mean the difference between safety and disaster.”
Examples
simple
“The phone call is garbled and I miss half the words.”
contextual
“The station announcement is garbled, so passengers crowd around the screen to check the platform number.”
complex
“Through the failing radio came only garbled fragments of the rescue order, forcing the team to guess at coordinates that could mean the difference between safety and disaster.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “garbled” in context.
Verb
01. become garbled
“The signal became garbled as the storm got worse.”
verb + adj
02. come through garbled
“Her reply came through garbled because of poor reception.”
verb + prep + adj
03. end up garbled
“The file ended up garbled after the download failed.”
verb + particle + adj
04. get garbled
“My name often gets garbled when I spell it on the phone.”
verb + adj
Adjective
05. badly garbled
“His voice was badly garbled, so we could not catch the address.”
adv + adj
06. completely garbled
“The last text was completely garbled and made no sense.”
adv + adj
Noun
07. garbled account
“The paper printed a garbled account of what the witness said.”
adj + noun
08. garbled message
“I got a garbled message and had to ask her to resend it.”
adj + noun
09. garbled signal
“We heard only a garbled signal before the call dropped.”
adj + noun
10. garbled speech
“The recording captured only his garbled speech in the background.”
adj + noun
11. garbled transmission
“The pilot could not decode the garbled transmission from control.”
adj + noun
12. badly garbled message
“She left a badly garbled message I could barely understand.”
Real-World Examples
“Somewhere along the path from his brain to his mouth, his words became misdirected or impaired, resulting in garbled sounds punctuated by prolonged silences filled with tension.” “The White House provided its own YouTube stream of the event, but the audio was garbled and the president’s remarks were almost entirely inaudible.” “A military helicopter carrying President Trump came less than a mile from a passenger jet above Washington on Tuesday after garbled communications with Ronald Reagan National Airport’s tower delayed air traffic controllers from clearing nearby air traffic, according to two people familiar with federal officials’ initial assessment.” Synonyms
Antonyms
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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