indecipherable

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/ɪndɪˈsaɪfəɹəbəl//ɪndɪˈsaɪfɹəbəl//ɪndə-/

adjective

Not decipherable; impossible to decode, read, understand or comprehend.

“The doctor's handwriting was indecipherable.”

Opposite
UncommonScrabble 24

Meanings

adjectiveindecipherable (comparative more indecipherable, superlative most indecipherable)

comparative more indecipherable · superlative most indecipherable

  1. Not decipherable; impossible to decode, read, understand or comprehend.

    The doctor's handwriting was indecipherable.

    2 more examples

    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

    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

    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)
    2 more examples

    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)

    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

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite

adjectivenot easily deciphered

adjectiveimpossible to determine the meaning of

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Italic*n̥-
  4. Latinin-
  5. Middle Englishin-
  6. Englishin-
  7. Englishdecipher
  8. Englishdecipherable
  9. Englishindecipherable

From in- + decipherable.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan indesxifrable
  • indesxifrablenot decipherable
Dutch onontcijferbaar
  • onontcijferbaarnot decipherable
Esperanto malĉifri
  • malĉifrinot decipherable
French indéchiffrable
  • indéchiffrablenot decipherable
German unentzifferbar, unentzifferlich
  • unentzifferbarnot decipherable
  • unentzifferlichnot decipherable
Greek δυσερμήνευτος
  • δυσερμήνευτος (dysermíneftos)not decipherable
Hungarian olvashatatlan, kivehetetlen
  • olvashatatlannot decipherable
  • kivehetetlennot decipherable
  • megfejthetetlennot decipherable
Italian indecifrabile
  • indecifrabilenot decipherable
Latvian neatšifrējams
  • neatšifrējamsnot decipherable
Portuguese indecifrável
  • indecifrávelnot decipherable
Cite this entry
APA

indecipherable. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/indecipherable

MLA

“indecipherable.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/indecipherable. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “indecipherable,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/indecipherable.

Source: indecipherable on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.