unrecognisably

IPA/ʌnˈrek.əɡ.naɪ.zə.bli/
IPA/ʌnˈrek.əɡ.naɪ.zə.bli/

unrecognisably — adverb

1. in a manner that makes it impossible to see or know what something or someone wa

1.adverbB2
Definition

in a manner that makes it impossible to see or know what something or someone was before, because the change is so great

Example

The old town centre changed unrecognisably after the new buildings went up.

collocation: changed unrecognisably

Yumi's old neighbourhood had changed unrecognisably since she left for university.

collocation: changed unrecognisably

Common collocations
  • changed unrecognisably
  • altered unrecognisably
  • transformed unrecognisably
  • grown unrecognisably
  • shifted unrecognisably
Synonyms
  • beyond recognition

    a common prepositional phrase that carries the same meaning, e.g. 'changed beyond recognition'

  • indistinguishably

    more formal and less common; emphasises that two states cannot be told apart

  • completely

    less precise — describes degree but not the idea of failed identification

Antonyms
  • recognisably

    the direct opposite: in a way that can still be identified as the original

  • barely

    emphasises small degree of change, whereas unrecognisably implies extreme change

Usage Note

American English spells this word unrecognizably. This adverb almost always describes a dramatic change; typical verbs it modifies include change, alter, transform, grow, and shift.

Common Mistakes

The city has changed unrecognisedly.
The city has changed unrecognisably.
the adverb form is unrecognisably, not unrecognisedly.
He looked at me unrecognisably.
His appearance had changed unrecognisably.
this adverb describes how something changes, not how someone looks at something.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Unrecognisably and beyond recognition are nearly interchangeable when describing visible change, though beyond recognition is a phrase that sounds slightly more natural in everyday speech ('The house was damaged beyond recognition'). Indistinguishably is more formal and tends to be used when two things become so alike they cannot be told apart ('The twins' voices were indistinguishably similar'), which is the opposite direction of change from unrecognisably. Completely is a much broader adverb that covers all degrees of change and lacks the core idea of failed identification. Use unrecognisably when you want to stress that the original is no longer identifiable; use completely when you only mean 'totally' without the recognition angle.

unrecognisably ↗beyond recognitionindistinguishablycompletely ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • changed unrecognisably
  • altered unrecognisably
  • transformed unrecognisably
  • grown unrecognisably

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed from the prefix un- (meaning 'not'), the verb recognise, and the suffix -ably (forming adverbs from adjectives ending in -able). The base word recognise comes from Old French reconoistre, which itself traces back to Latin recognoscere — re- ('again') + cognoscere ('to know'). The spelling with -s- (unrecognisably) follows British English conventions; American English uses -z- (unrecognizably).