English Reference
Adjective

indistinguishable

adj.
C1 Advanced US /ˌɪndɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃəbəɫ/ UK /ˌɪndɪstˈɪŋɡwɪʃəbəl/ in·dis·tin·guish·able

adj.so similar to something else that you cannot see any difference between them.

adj.impossible to differentiate or tell apart from something else. Often used with the preposition 'from'.


SIMPLE

The fake watch is indistinguishable from the real one.

CONTEXTUAL

To the untrained eye, the two species of butterfly are indistinguishable when they are in flight.

COMPLEX

Advances in synthetic materials have made some artificial fabrics indistinguishable from natural silk in both texture and appearance, even to experienced textile experts.

Usage

Typically used predicatively after a linking verb and followed by the preposition 'from'.

Pitfall
indistinguishable to the originalindistinguishable from the original

The adjective 'indistinguishable' typically takes the preposition 'from' to indicate the point of comparison.

Visually, the Touring is mostly indistinguishable from the more expensive Grand Touring, which is fortunate because its design is one of the vehicle’s strongest assets.

Ars Technica· 17 Jul 2026

Inevitably, these carefully curated images presented the four grand duchesses as largely indistinguishable sisters who went everywhere in matching white dresses , their expressions serene but somewhat inscrutable.

Smithsonian Magazine· 16 Jul 2026

From in- + distinguishable.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated