unreadable

adjective

un·​read·​able ˌən-ˈrē-də-bəl 

: not readable: such as

a

: not decipherable : illegible

unreadable handwriting

b

: impossible to read and understand : incomprehensible

… a flawed, unreadable, misleading bill that garnered support based on propaganda and clever—but false—talking points.

—Marilyn M. Singleton

c

: impossible to interpret

The expression on her face was unreadable.

d

: not enjoyable or interesting enough to engage the reader

an unreadable novel

Synonyms

• illegible
• indecipherable
• undecipherable

Examples of unreadable in a Sentence

the old book contains an inscription, but the handwriting is cramped and unreadable

Recent Examples on the Web

There are other snafus: The calligraphy on the place-setting cards is unreadable, and someone described as an energy medium has tried to muck around with the dining room’s musty feng shui. —Tom Gliatto, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025

The poster later shared a second image, revealing the drive's contents: a collection of unreadable files, lines of code and an unopened Excel spreadsheet. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025

Then there are the various black and white squares which are actually data modules encoding the information in binary format and error correction codes that enable successful scanning even if a quarter of the code block is unreadable. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025

Listen to this article Famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump was retained by the family of Gerald Neal, the bystander killed Feb. 12 during a controversial high-speed chase by Orlando police prompted by an unreadable license plate. —Cristóbal Reyes, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1655, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unreadable

• readable

Kids Definition

unreadable

adjective

un·​read·​able

ˌən-ˈrēd-ə-bəl,

ˈən-

1

: too dull or unattractive to read

a long, unreadable essay

2

: illegible

unreadable handwriting