unintelligibleun‧in‧tel‧li‧gi‧ble /ˌʌnɪnˈtelədʒəbəl◂/ adjective 
Eva muttered something unintelligible.unintelligible to technical jargon that is unintelligible to outsiders—unintelligibly adverb
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a series of unintelligible syllables
- Her note was practically unintelligible.
- I liked the music but the lyrics were completely unintelligible.
- Joe muttered something unintelligible, clasping his head in his hands.
- Radio transmissions were often cut off or unintelligible.
- A major obstacle to understanding is the use of technical jargon which is unintelligible to the buyer.
- Dolphin sounds are unintelligible to humans, and cover a larger range of frequencies than we can hear or differentiate.
- It becomes permissible to import toilers with swarthy skins who speak unintelligible languages.
- Jargon words usually sound ugly and unintelligible to outsiders.
- Most of the discussion would have been marvellously unintelligible in a Basildon supermarket or in a pub in Barrow-in-Furness.
- Readers may still find, as I do, that some of the economic debate is unintelligible.
- Sometimes, even speech in an unintelligible foreign language can be illuminating.
- Under these conditions new, mutually unintelligible languages will eventually arise.
Longman Language Activatornot clear
· It is unclear how the man died.· The instructions aren't very clear.· The terms of our tenancy agreement are somewhat unclear.· The reasons for his resignation are still not clear.unclear/not clear about · His ideas are good, but he's very unclear about how he's going to achieve them.unclear/not clear whether/what/why etc · It's not clear why Parks didn't go straight to the police.· It is unclear whether the she will agree to the new arrangements.
having more than one possible meaning and therefore confusing and unclear: · The document's ambiguous wording makes it very difficult to follow.deliberately ambiguous (=intended to be difficult to understand): · The last part of her letter was deliberately ambiguous.
words or statements that are imprecise are unclear because they do not describe or explain something in an exact way when this is necessary: · Many of the terms used in this book are imprecise.· She gave me directions to the hotel, but they were, shall we say, somewhat imprecise.
unclear, especially because not enough details are given: · There have been vague rumours of a coup.vague idea: · I only had a vague idea of where the place was.vague about: · He was rather vague about the reasons why he never finished school.
a confusing situation, story, explanation, etc is difficult to understand because there does not seem to be any clear pattern or order to it: · The kidnappers issued a series of confusing demands.· I found the book really confusing. I kept forgetting who the characters were.· Cricket can be a pretty confusing game for non-players.
if something that someone tells you is muddled or garbled , it is very unclear and confusing because they themselves have not really understood it very well: · I heard a garbled version of the story from one of my students.· Conroy made some muddled statement about how company policy has to be observed in these situations.· The old woman's directions were so garbled that I just rolled up the window and drove on.
unintelligible speech or writing is impossible to understand, for example because the words are not clear or it is written very badly: · Her note was practically unintelligible.· I liked the music but the lyrics were completely unintelligible.
difficult or impossible to understand a puzzling situation makes you feel confused, because you have tried to understand it or explain it, but you cannot: · The police are investigating the puzzling death of a man found on the freeway.· Alzheimer's disease is one of medicine's most puzzling and feared illnesses.· The fact that many people still do not understand this basic concept is both puzzling and troubling.
extremely difficult or impossible to understand, and therefore making you feel extremely confused: · To an ordinary person, the legal arguments were baffling.· New evidence has provided a clue to one of the most baffling crimes the police have had to deal with.
impossible to understand: · His English was incomprehensible.it is incomprehensible that: · It is incomprehensible that a tragedy like this could be joked about.incomprehensible to: · The leaflet was written in jargon that would have been totally incomprehensible to anyone outside the profession.
speech or writing that is unintelligible is impossible to understand because it is not clear, simple, or well planned: · Joe muttered something unintelligible, clasping his head in his hands.· Radio transmissions were often cut off or unintelligible.
incoherent speech is very difficult to understand, especially because the person who is speaking is drunk, ill, or very angry: · Harris gave rambling, incoherent answers to questions about the case.· She was clearly very ill, and at times her speech was incoherent.
a statement, joke, or idea that is obscure is very difficult to understand because the meaning is not clear unless it is carefully explained to you: · Best's art is eccentric and obscure.· Publishers would not print his earlier poetry because they felt it was too obscure.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Eva muttered something unintelligible.
Eva muttered something unintelligible.WORD FAMILYnounintelligenceintelligentsiaintelligibilityadjectiveintelligent ≠ unintelligentintelligible ≠ unintelligibleadverbintelligentlyintelligibly
impossible to understand OPP clear: Eva muttered something unintelligible.unintelligible to technical jargon that is unintelligible to outsiders—unintelligibly adverb- interaction
- interactive
- interactively
- interactive whiteboard
- interactivity
- interagency
- inter alia
- interbreed
- intercede
- intercept
- interception
- intercession
- interchange
- interchangeability
- interchangeable
- interchangeably
- intercity
- intercollegiate
- intercom
- interconnect
- interconnection
- intercontinental
- intercourse
- intercut
- interdenominational