Standard Lemma guide

illegible

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪˈlɛd͡ʒəbəl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 L EH1 JH AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not clear enough to be read; unreadable; not legible or decipherable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • illegible handwriting
  • illegible scribbles
  • illegible symbols
  • illegible writing

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: legible

2

adjective

Meaning 2

(of handwriting, print, etc.) not legible

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • illegible handwriting

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: legible

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English il- English legible English illegible From il- + legible.

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: неразборлівы (njerazbórlivy) — not clear enough to be read
  • Bulgarian: нечетлив (nečetliv) — not clear enough to be read
  • Catalan: illegible — not clear enough to be read
  • Catalan: il·legible — not clear enough to be read
  • Chinese Mandarin: 難以辨認的 /难以辨认的 (nányǐ biànrèn de) — not clear enough to be read
  • Chinese Mandarin: 很難看懂的 /很难看懂的 (hěn nán kàndǒng de) — not clear enough to be read
  • Czech: nečitelný — not clear enough to be read
  • Dutch: onleesbaar — not clear enough to be read
  • Esperanto: nelegebla — not clear enough to be read
  • Finnish: lukukelvoton — not clear enough to be read
  • French: illisible — not clear enough to be read
  • French: indéchiffrable — not clear enough to be read
  • French: illégible — not clear enough to be read
  • Galician: ilexible — not clear enough to be read
  • German: unleserlich — not clear enough to be read
  • Hungarian: olvashatatlan — not clear enough to be read
  • Icelandic: ólæsilegur — not clear enough to be read
  • Italian: illeggibile — not clear enough to be read
  • Japanese: 読めない (yomenai) — not clear enough to be read
  • Japanese: 汚い (kitanai) — not clear enough to be read
  • Luxembourgish: onlieserlech — not clear enough to be read
  • Macedonian: нечитлив (nečitliv) — not clear enough to be read
  • Polish: nieczytelny — not clear enough to be read
  • Portuguese: ilegível — not clear enough to be read
  • Romanian: ilizibil — not clear enough to be read
  • Russian: неразбо́рчивый (nerazbórčivyj) — not clear enough to be read
  • Russian: нечёткий (nečótkij) — not clear enough to be read
  • Spanish: ilegible — not clear enough to be read
  • Spanish: indescifrable — not clear enough to be read
  • Swedish: oläsbar — not clear enough to be read
  • Turkish: okunaksız — not clear enough to be read
  • Turkish: kargacık burgacık — not clear enough to be read
  • Ukrainian: нерозбі́рливий (nerozbírlyvyj) — not clear enough to be read