indiscernible

/ˌɪndɪˈsɜːnəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪndɪˈsɜːrnəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌin-di-ˈsər-nə-bəl How to pronounce indiscernible (audio) -ˈzər-/ (ame, mw)

indiscernible — adjective

  • indiscerniblepositive
  • more indiscerniblecomparative
  • most indiscerniblesuperlative

1. If something is indiscernible, its details are too faint, blurred, or mixed toge

1.形容詞C2
釋義

If something is indiscernible, its details are too faint, blurred, or mixed together for you to pick out exactly what you are seeing, hearing, or trying to understand.

例句

Through the smoke, the house numbers were almost indiscernible from the street.

almost indiscernible — visual details cannot be picked out

At the back of the hall, Lauren's whispered comment was indiscernible through the fan noise.

be indiscernible through interfering sound

同義詞
  • indistinct

    close formal synonym for shapes, sounds, or details that are blurred

  • imperceptible

    stronger and slightly more technical; often used when something is too slight for the senses to notice at all

  • unintelligible

    best when speech, writing, or meaning cannot be understood

  • unclear

    more general and less formal; does not always imply total inability to make out the detail

反義詞
  • clear

    easy to see, hear, or understand

  • distinct

    sharply separate and easy to make out

  • recognizable

    able to be identified without difficulty

文法句型

be indiscernible

become indiscernible

find + object + indiscernible

用法筆記

Usually appears after verbs such as 'be', 'become', and 'remain', or after 'find + object'. It is more formal and stronger than 'unclear', because it suggests the detail cannot really be made out at all, whether the problem comes from distance, weak contrast, noise, or a broken signal.

常見錯誤

❌The twins were indiscernible in their school photo.
✅The twins were indistinguishable in their school photo.
💡'indiscernible' means the detail cannot be made out clearly; 'indistinguishable' means two things cannot be told apart.
❌The key was indiscernible because it was not on the table.
✅The key was invisible because it was not on the table.
💡'indiscernible' is used when something is there but too unclear to make out.