indistinct

/ˌɪndɪˈstɪŋkt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪndɪˈstɪŋkt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌin-di-ˈstiŋ(k)t/ (ame, mw)

indistinct — adjective

  • indistinctpositive
  • more indistinctcomparative
  • most indistinctsuperlative

1. describing something you cannot see, hear, or remember sharply enough to know ex

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describing something you cannot see, hear, or remember sharply enough to know exactly what it is — a shape with fuzzy edges, a voice too faint to follow, or a childhood image gone hazy in your mind.

例句

Through the morning fog, the lighthouse looked indistinct from where Élise was standing.

pattern: 'look indistinct' for blurred visual shapes

Joshua heard an indistinct murmur of voices from the room next door.

collocation: 'indistinct murmur' for faint sound

同義詞
  • blurred

    specifically visual — out of focus or with soft edges

  • faint

    specifically about weak sound, light, or smell

  • hazy

    often about memory or atmospheric vision; informal

  • vague

    broader — also covers ideas and meanings, not just perception

反義詞
  • distinct

    directly opposite — sharply seen, heard, or recalled

  • clear

    general everyday opposite

  • sharp

    specifically about visual or auditory edges

文法句型

be indistinct

an indistinct + noun

用法筆記

Frequently used with senses of perception (sight, sound, memory) — typical subjects are shapes, sounds, voices, images, photographs, recollections. The negative prefix 'in-' shows it is the opposite of 'distinct': where 'distinct' means sharply separable, 'indistinct' means the boundary or detail has dissolved.

常見錯誤

❌The teacher's instructions were indistinct, so we did not finish on time.
✅The teacher's instructions were unclear, so we did not finish on time.
💡'indistinct' fits sensory perception (a faint sound, a blurred shape); for instructions or rules being hard to follow, 'unclear' is the natural choice.