unintelligibly
unintelligibly — adverb
1. spoken or written so unclearly that no one can grasp the intended meaning
spoken or written so unclearly that no one can grasp the intended meaning
The old man muttered unintelligibly, and the nurse could not understand what he needed.
Karim muttered unintelligibly during the cross-examination, forcing the lawyer to ask for the question to be repeated.
collocation: mutter + unintelligibly for speech that cannot be heard clearly
Minh scrawled the directions unintelligibly on a napkin, and everyone ended up lost during the road trip.
Diego spoke so unintelligibly on the phone that Kiran asked him to call back later.
The toddler babbled unintelligibly into her toy phone while her older brother tried to watch his favorite cartoon.
- incomprehensibly
slightly more formal; used more often for complex ideas than for unclear physical sound
- unclearly
softer meaning — suggests difficulty rather than total impossibility of understanding
- inarticulately
specifically about an inability to express thoughts clearly in speech, often from emotion or hesitation
- intelligibly
direct opposite — in a way that can be understood
- clearly
in a way that is easy to hear, see, or understand
文法句型
mutter / speak / write / mumble / babble + unintelligibly
用法筆記
Frequently pairs with verbs of speech such as mutter, mumble, babble, whisper, and slur, as well as verbs of writing such as write, type, or scrawl.
常見錯誤
unintelligibly — adjective
- unintelligiblypositive
- more unintelligiblycomparative
- most unintelligiblysuperlative
1. describes speech, writing, or sounds that are not clear or organized enough for
describes speech, writing, or sounds that are not clear or organized enough for anyone to understand
The voicemail from Daichi's grandmother was so full of static that it was completely unintelligible.
completely unintelligible for total lack of clarity
The doctor's handwriting was almost unintelligible, so the pharmacist called for clarification.
Hassan's explanation was so unintelligible that the students left more confused than before.
When the microphone broke, the speaker's voice became muffled and unintelligible.
- incomprehensible
same meaning; more commonly used for ideas and abstract concepts than for physical sound quality
- unclear
weaker meaning — suggests difficulty rather than total impossibility of understanding
- garbled
describes speech or writing that has been distorted or mixed up, often by a machine or bad connection
- intelligible
direct opposite — able to be understood
- clear
easy to see, hear, or understand
文法句型
unintelligible + noun
be + unintelligible
用法筆記
Can describe both physical lack of clarity (muffled sound, messy handwriting) and logical lack of clarity (confusing explanation). Distinguish from the adverb sense adverb/1 — this adjective describes the thing itself (speech, writing), while the adverb describes the action (speaking, writing).