ENGLISH
REFERENCE

unintelligible

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌənɪnˈtɛɫədʒəbəɫ// UK //ˌʌnɪntˈɛlɪdʒəbəl// un·in·tel·li·gi·ble

adj. impossible to understand because the speech or writing is not clear. You use this when someone is mumbling or the handwriting is very messy.

adj. impossible to understand or comprehend, typically due to poor articulation, low audio quality, or illegible script. Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'be', 'become', or 'sound'.


SIMPLE

His handwriting is so messy that it is almost unintelligible.

CONTEXTUAL

The recording was so old and scratchy that most of the interview remained unintelligible to the researchers.

COMPLEX

While the technical jargon was familiar to the engineers, the dense mathematical proofs in the appendix were largely unintelligible to the lay audience attending the lecture.

Usage

Often follows a linking verb or modifies nouns related to communication like 'speech', 'writing', or 'sounds'.

Pitfall

The book was unintelligible to read.The book was unintelligible.Unintelligible describes the quality of the communication itself; adding 'to read' is redundant and grammatically awkward.

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