Dictionary

indecipherable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ɪndə-/
• /ɪndɪˈsaɪfɹəbəl/
• /ɪndɪˈsaɪfəɹəbəl/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English decipher Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English decipherable English indecipherable From in- + decipherable.

Meanings

1. Not decipherable; impossible to decode, read, understand or comprehend.
   • The second and third quarters of the shield are indecipherable on the stone but clearer in two other representations of the arms, a painted wooden funeral hatchment for Mary Davie[…] 2012 October 8, Daniel W. Patterson, The True Image: Gravestone Art and the Culture of Scotch Irish Settlers in the Pennsylvania and Carolina Backcountry, UNC Press Books, →ISBN, page 141:
   • The doctor's handwriting was indecipherable.
   • One of the last remaining members of the Navajo Code Talkers, who used their difficult-to-learn language to form an indecipherable code that helped the Allies win World War II, has died. 2019 January 16, Eric Levenson, “Alfred Newman, one of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers, dies at 94”, in CNN:
2. Indistinguishable
   • The explanation some are suggesting is that the object takes on the appearance of what is behind it, or that it takes on the appearanec ^([sic]) of what the observer thinks is behind it. In both cases, the object is still visible. It's a visible representation of what's behind it, but it is still invisible, just indecipherable from its surroundings. 2001 December 22, Michael A. Norville, “Why do so many DMs hate their players”, in rec.games.frp.dnd (Usenet):
   • If you knew who Jerry was you'd swear you'd been cloned. Your posting style is virtually indecipherable from his. 2004 April 21, RoyWilliamsIsGay, “Pablo the Troll”, in alt.sports.football.pro.phila-eagles (Usenet):
   • A British university compared lads' mags with comments from convicted rapists. It found that people could not distinguish the source of the comments. That is, Zoo uses language practically indecipherable from that of sex offenders. 2015 May 20, Laura Pintur, “My campaign against Zoo Magazine: the well-being of girls should come before profits” (0:25 from the start), in Guardian Australia:

Forms

Antonyms

decipherable

Deriveds

indecipherableness · indecipherability · indecipherably

Synonyms

illegible · unreadable · undecipherable

Translations (13)

de unentzifferbar (not decipherable) · de unentzifferlich (not decipherable) · lv neatšifrējams (not decipherable) · hu kivehetetlen (not decipherable) · el δυσερμήνευτος (not decipherable) · hu olvashatatlan (not decipherable) · fr indéchiffrable (not decipherable) · pt indecifrável (not decipherable) · ca indesxifrable (not decipherable) · eo malĉifri (not decipherable) · it indecifrabile (not decipherable) · nl onontcijferbaar (not decipherable) · hu megfejthetetlen (not decipherable)