inaudible

/ɪnˈɔːdəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈɔːdəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)i-ˈnȯ-də-bəl/ (ame, mw)

inaudible — adjective

  • inaudiblepositive
  • more inaudiblecomparative
  • most inaudiblesuperlative

1. so quiet or faint that the human ear cannot detect it

1.形容詞B2
釋義

so quiet or faint that the human ear cannot detect it

例句

Zahra's whisper was so soft that it was nearly inaudible to the people behind her.

nearly inaudible — adverb collocation softening the adjective

The old television set produced an inaudible high-pitched noise that only dogs could detect.

inaudible [to humans] + detectable by [other subjects]

同義詞
  • imperceptible

    broader term — describes anything undetectable by any sense, not only hearing; more formal

  • muffled

    implies the sound is deliberately blocked or covered rather than naturally too faint

  • indistinct

    suggests the sound is unclear but may still be partially heard, unlike inaudible which means completely unheard

反義詞
  • audible

    direct opposite — able to be heard clearly

用法筆記

Often modified by adverbs such as 'almost', 'nearly', 'virtually', and 'practically' to indicate that the sound is at the very edge of being heard rather than completely silent. The subject of the sentence is typically a sound, voice, or signal; the person who cannot hear is usually introduced with 'to' (e.g., 'inaudible to the audience').

常見錯誤

❌The music was inaudible to hear.
✅The music was inaudible.
💡'inaudible' already means 'cannot be heard', so adding 'to hear' is redundant.
❌His voice was not audible.' (when you mean it could not be heard at all)
✅His voice was inaudible.
💡'inaudible' describes a sound that is entirely undetectable, while 'not audible' can suggest it was faint but technically detectable.
❌The inaudible whisper was too quiet.
✅The whisper was so quiet it was inaudible.
💡'inaudible' already means 'too quiet to hear', so pairing it with 'too quiet' creates a tautology.