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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

invisible en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /ɪnˈvɪzəb(ə)l/
  • (US) audio
  • ĭn-vĭz'ə-bəl

Etymology

From Middle English invisible, from Old French invisible, from Late Latin invīsibilis. Displaced native Old English unġesewenlīċ. Morphologically in- + visible. Piecewise doublet of unvisible.

Meanings

  1. (not-comparable) Unable to be seen; out of sight; not visible.
    • The teeth on an invisible zip are different from those on a conventional zip, as they are turned onto the inside so that they do not show, giving the impression of being concealed in the seam, as seen below. 2013, Jayne Smith, Guide to Basic Garment Assembly for the Fashion Industry, page 60:
    • Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them. 2013 May-June, William E. Conner, “An Acoustic Arms Race”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, pages 206–7:
    • An interesting feature of the church is the invisible clock, which you can hear thumping away as you enter. Constructed in 1525, it is one of the oldest timepieces in England. It chimes the hours and the quarters, and every three hours it plays a hymn. But it has no faces. 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 163:
    • Soon after departure, we cross the invisible border into Scotland to enjoy more stunning coastal scenery, before the line finally swings inland at Burnmouth to traverse pine-clad valleys, shadowed by the A1 trunk road until we rejoin the coast at Cove, east of Dunbar. 2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 75:
    • Unſpeakable, who ſitſt above theſe Heavens / To us inviſible or dimly ſeen / In theſe thy loweſt works,[…] 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
    • The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track.[…]Their example was followed by others at a time when the master of Mohair was superintending in person the docking of some two-year-olds, and equally invisible. 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, pages 58–59:
  2. (not-comparable) Not appearing on the surface.
    • The physical covering of this image limited the Christians’ view, rendering the image invisible on all but a few occasions. 2024, Katherine Aron-Beller, chapter 6, in Christian Images and Their Jewish Desecrators: The History of an Allegation, 400–1700, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, →ISBN, page 261:
  3. (Internet, not-comparable) Apparently, but not actually, offline.
    • I went invisible so that my ex-girlfriend wouldn't send me instant messages.
  4. (not-comparable) That is ignored by a person.

Antonyms

apparent · visible · visible

Deriveds

invisible minority · invisible web · invisible ink · invisible lat syndrome · invisible rail · invisible hand · invisible runner · invisible restoration · invisible trade · invisible export · invisible government · invisible primary · invisible green · join the choir invisible · invisible import · invisible bird

Hypernyms

imperceptible

Hyponyms

hidden

Relateds

offstage · occult · invisible kitchen · invisibly · invisibilize · invisibleness · cloaked · invisibility · ghostlike

Synonyms

invis · latent · unvisible · invis · sightless · hidden · viewless · inapparent · unconspicuous · unseeable · unapparent · nondisplayed · nonvisible · inviso · invisible · viewless · uneyeable · unseen · out of sight · unvisible · unseeable · unspottable · disapparent · inconspicuous

Translations (99)

el αθέατος (unable to be seen) · sw -si-onekana (unable to be seen) · ja 無形の (unable to be seen) · it dietro le quinte (unable to be seen) · ja 隠れた (not appearing on the surface) · fo ósjónligur (unable to be seen) · kk көрінбейтін (unable to be seen) · ja 不可視の (unable to be seen) · te అదృశ్య (unable to be seen) · eo nevidebla (unable to be seen) · vi tàng hình (unable to be seen) · el άφαντος (unable to be seen) · ne अदृश्य (unable to be seen) · hi ओझल (unable to be seen) · lt nematoma (unable to be seen) · uk неви́димий (unable to be seen) · ru незри́мый (unable to be seen) · pl niewidzialny (unable to be seen) · ja 透明な (unable to be seen) · pt invisível (unable to be seen) · tl alimuos (unable to be seen) · sh невѝдљив (unable to be seen) · lt nematomas (unable to be seen) · no usynlig (unable to be seen) · ja 隠然たる (not appearing on the surface) · te అగోచరము (unable to be seen) · th ล่องหน (unable to be seen) · ang unġesewenlīċ (unable to be seen) · br diwel (unable to be seen) · got 𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍈𐌰𐌽𐍃 (unable to be seen) · ky көрүнбөс (unable to be seen) · ca invisible (unable to be seen) · sv osynlig (unable to be seen) · grc ἀόρατος (unable to be seen) · ar غَيْر مَرْئِيّ (unable to be seen) · vi vô hình (unable to be seen) · el αναίσθητος (unable to be seen) · bg невидим (unable to be seen) · az görünməz (unable to be seen) · hy աննշմարելի (unable to be seen) · hi अनदेखा (unable to be seen) · la invīsibilis (unable to be seen) · ka უჩინარი (unable to be seen) · ko 보이지 않 (unable to be seen) · ru неви́димый (not appearing on the surface) · ms halimunan (unable to be seen) · fi näkymätön (unable to be seen) · ar خَفِيّ (unable to be seen) · sa अदृष्ट (unable to be seen) · nl onzichtbaar (unable to be seen) · el ακατανόητος (unable to be seen) · ka უხილავი (unable to be seen) · el αόρατος (unable to be seen) · de unsichtbar (unable to be seen) · fr caché (not appearing on the surface) · hy անտեսանելի (unable to be seen) · ro ascuns (not appearing on the surface) · pl niewidoczny (unable to be seen) · vi ẩn hình (unable to be seen) · ht envizib (unable to be seen) · cmn 隱形 /隐形 (unable to be seen) · de versteckt (not appearing on the surface) · tr görünmez (unable to be seen) · be няба́чны (unable to be seen) · fr invisible (not appearing on the surface) · ru скры́тый (not appearing on the surface) · it invisibile (unable to be seen) · es invisible (unable to be seen) · fr invisible (unable to be seen) · lv neredzama (unable to be seen) · ja 目に見えない (unable to be seen) · lt neregima (unable to be seen) · cs neviditelný (unable to be seen) · da usynlig (unable to be seen) · bn অদৃশ্য (unable to be seen) · la invisus (unable to be seen) · is ósýnilegur (unable to be seen) · mr अदृश्य (unable to be seen) · lv neredzams (unable to be seen) · mk невидлив (unable to be seen) · tl ditahaw (unable to be seen) · gl invisible (unable to be seen) · el κρυμμένος (not appearing on the surface) · he בלתי־נראה (unable to be seen) · ro invizibil (not appearing on the surface) · az görünməyən (unable to be seen) · ast invisible (unable to be seen) · hi अदृश्य (unable to be seen) · ru неви́димый (unable to be seen) · acw خَفِي (unable to be seen) · ro invizibil (unable to be seen) · hu láthatatlan (unable to be seen) · oc invisible (unable to be seen) · lt neregimas (unable to be seen) · ja 潜在的な (not appearing on the surface) · pdt onsechtboa (unable to be seen) · sh nevìdljiv (unable to be seen) · cmn 無形 /无形 (unable to be seen) · af onsigbaar (unable to be seen)

invisible en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ɪnˈvɪzəb(ə)l/
  • (US) audio
  • ĭn-vĭz'ə-bəl

Etymology

From Middle English invisible, from Old French invisible, from Late Latin invīsibilis. Displaced native Old English unġesewenlīċ. Morphologically in- + visible. Piecewise doublet of unvisible.

Meanings

  1. (obsolete) An invisible person or thing; specifically, God, the Supreme Being.
  2. (obsolete) A Rosicrucian; so called because avoiding declaration of his craft.
  3. (obsolete) One of those (as in the 16th century) who denied the visibility of the church.
    • Invisibles. Heretics who denied the visibility of the Church 1872, Orby Shipley, A Glossary of Ecclesiastical Terms:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
invisibles Number=Plur lexicographic

invisible en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /ɪnˈvɪzəb(ə)l/
  • (US) audio
  • ĭn-vĭz'ə-bəl

Etymology

From Middle English invisible, from Old French invisible, from Late Latin invīsibilis. Displaced native Old English unġesewenlīċ. Morphologically in- + visible. Piecewise doublet of unvisible.

Meanings

  1. To make invisible, to invisiblize.
    • In the next section I look at some of the factors that contribute to the “invisibling” of people in later life in terms of the marginalization and splitting that occurs in providing decent psychological as well as physical care. 2007, Rachael Davenhill, Looking into Later Life:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
invisibled Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
invisibled Tense=Past lexicographic
invisibles Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
invisibling Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic