Meanings
comparative more unrecognizable · superlative most unrecognizable · alternative unrecognisable
- BritishEnglishOxfordUSThat cannot be recognized, especially because of substantial changes.
1 more example
He’s forced to travel back to 1969 to prevent an evil alien (a shockingly effective, nearly unrecognizable Jemaine Clement of Flight Of The Conchords, playing sort of a psychotic extraterrestrial-biker serial killer) from destroying the world by killing Brolin. Smith is aided in his quest by an elfin, time-jumping alien with psychic powers played by another Coen brothers veteran, A Serious Man star Michael Stuhlbarg.
2012 May 24, Nathan Rabin, “Film: Reviews: Men In Black 3”, in The Onion AV ClubSynonyms: irrecognizable · Antonyms: recognizable
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveThat cannot be recognized, especially because of substantial changes.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivedefying recognition as e.g. because of damage or alteration
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Germanic*un-
- Proto-West Germanic*un-
- Old Englishun-
- Middle Englishun-
- Englishun-
- Proto-Italic*wre-
- Latinre-
- Old Frenchre-
- Middle Englishre-
- Englishre-
- Englishcognize
- Englishrecognize
- Englishunrecognizable
Translations
Bulgarian неузнаваем
- неузнаваем (neuznavaem)that cannot be recognized
Catalan irreconeixible
- irreconeixiblethat cannot be recognized
Chinese Mandarin 无法辨认的, 未被认可的
- 无法辨认的that cannot be recognized
- 未被认可的that cannot be recognized
- 未被承认的that cannot be recognized
Danish uigenkendelig, ugenkendelig
- uigenkendeligthat cannot be recognized
- ugenkendeligthat cannot be recognized
- ukendeligthat cannot be recognized
Dutch onherkenbaar
- onherkenbaarthat cannot be recognized
Esperanto nerekonebla
- nerekoneblathat cannot be recognized
Finnish tunnistamaton
- tunnistamatonthat cannot be recognized
French méconnaissable
- méconnaissablethat cannot be recognized
German unerkennbar, unkenntlich
- unerkennbarthat cannot be recognized
- unkenntlichthat cannot be recognized
- nicht wiederzuerkennenthat cannot be recognized
Greek αγνώριστος
- αγνώριστος (agnóristos)that cannot be recognized
Hungarian felismerhetetlen
- felismerhetetlenthat cannot be recognized
Icelandic ókennilegur
- ókennilegurthat cannot be recognized
Italian irriconoscibile
- irriconoscibilethat cannot be recognized
Polish nierozpoznawalny
- nierozpoznawalnythat cannot be recognized
Portuguese irreconhecível
- irreconhecívelthat cannot be recognized
Russian неузнава́емый
- неузнава́емый (neuznavájemyj)that cannot be recognized
Slovak nerozpoznateľný
- nerozpoznateľnýthat cannot be recognized
Spanish irreconocible
- irreconociblethat cannot be recognized
Swedish oigenkännlig
- oigenkännligthat cannot be recognized
Ukrainian невпізна́нний, невпізна́ваний
- невпізна́нний (nevpiznánnyj)that cannot be recognized
- невпізна́ваний (nevpiznávanyj)that cannot be recognized
Cite this entry
unrecognizable. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unrecognizable
“unrecognizable.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unrecognizable. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unrecognizable,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unrecognizable.
Source: unrecognizable on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.