garbled

adjective

gar·​bled ˈgär-bəld How to pronounce garbled (audio)
: made unclear or confusing : distorted or mixed up
a garbled message
garbled speech
… scientific cranks—those folks who concoct garbled and grandiose pseudo-scientific theories …Robert W. Wilson
A garbled group of syllables came over the speaker.Tom Clancy
But so much happened afterward to him that his five-day drive from Cracow to Warsaw soon became a garbled fading memory.Herman Wouk
Since the algorithm relies on the absolute accuracy of everything it has read to build the file, garbled information could lead to any number of mistakes.Paul C. Schuytema

Examples of garbled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But like many early AI systems, DALL-E 2 struggled with consistent text rendering, often producing garbled words and phrases within images. ArsTechnica, 27 Mar. 2025 Then, in what might be one of the most fitting metaphors of parenting and family-building in horror-comedy history, everyone—Rohan, Josh, their parents, their partner's parents, and even their friend—start screaming the same garbled Latin incantation in an effort to confuse the demon. Annabelle Canela, Parents, 26 Mar. 2025 These are critical to removing the noise in a garbled signal from a satellite, as well as compressing images for more efficient data storage. William Ross, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2025 This prompt is used as a seed to produce a bunch of garbled text. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for garbled

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1757, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of garbled was circa 1757

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Cite this Entry

“Garbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garbled. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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