unintelligibility
unintelligibility — noun
1. a situation in which speech, writing, or other signs carry no clear meaning for
a situation in which speech, writing, or other signs carry no clear meaning for the person trying to understand them
The unintelligibility of the radio transmission frustrated the rescue team for hours.
unintelligibility + of + [source noun]
Mrs. Okonkwo's speech after her stroke had such unintelligibility that it exhausted her family during daily conversations.
Takeshi blamed the unintelligibility of the legal document on the excessive use of Latin terms.
The complete unintelligibility of the toddler's excited babbling made the babysitter laugh.
- incomprehensibility
broader term that can also apply to situations, motives, or behaviour
- opacity
more literary and formal; often used for intentionally obscure writing
- obscurity
suggests the content is unknown or unclear, not necessarily garbled
- clarity
the quality of being easy to understand
- intelligibility
direct opposite; the quality of being understandable
文法句型
unintelligibility + of + noun
用法筆記
Typically uncountable. Describes spoken or written language, recordings, or technical content that cannot be understood. Frequently paired with 'of + [source]' to specify what is unintelligible.
常見錯誤
2. a specific piece of language, text, or sound that nobody can decipher or interpr
a specific piece of language, text, or sound that nobody can decipher or interpret
On the ancient map, the handwriting was an unintelligibility that no museum cartographer could read.
an + unintelligibility — countable usage
Hari pressed the phone closer, but the caller's voice had become a garbled unintelligibility.
When Sofie played the old cassette recording, the lyrics dissolved into a complete unintelligibility.
The faded wall graffiti was an unintelligibility that even the cleanup crew could not read.
- gibberish
more common in everyday speech; implies nonsense rather than just difficulty
- nonsense
broader; can mean something is illogical, not just hard to hear or read
- garbled message
specifically describes distorted sound or transmission
- clear statement
a message that is easy to understand
文法句型
an unintelligibility
unintelligibilities (plural)
用法筆記
Countable noun. Usually appears as 'an unintelligibility' (singular) or 'unintelligibilities' (plural). Refers to a specific instance of incomprehensible speech or writing rather than the general quality.