intelligible

1 of 2

adjective

in·​tel·​li·​gi·​ble in-ˈte-lə-jə-bəl How to pronounce intelligible (audio)
Synonyms of intelligible
1
: capable of being understood or comprehended
jargon intelligible only to the initiated
2
: apprehensible by the intellect only
intelligibility
in-ˌte-lə-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce intelligible (audio)
noun
intelligibleness
in-ˈte-lə-jə-bəl-nəs How to pronounce intelligible (audio)
noun
intelligibly
in-ˈte-lə-jə-blē How to pronounce intelligible (audio)
adverb

intelligibility

2 of 2

noun

in·​tel·​li·​gi·​bil·​i·​ty
-lətē, 
-i
plural -es
1
: the quality or state of being intelligible : clarity, understandability
the immediate intelligibility of the prose—Richard Eberhart
2
: something that is intelligible

Synonyms of intelligible

Relevance

Adjective

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Examples of intelligible in a Sentence

Adjective the ability to make complex concepts intelligible to the average reader Very little of the recording was intelligible.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
In a busy cafe environment, the buds successfully eliminate most of the background noise, but my voice becomes more compressed and less intelligible. — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026 China has also invested in narrative power—the capacity to present its conduct in legal terms that foreign audiences will find intelligible and persuasive. — Mark Jia, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026 Tamil itself is no less a political construction, with public discourse and education carried out in a self-consciously archaic form of the language only half-intelligible to many speakers of its multifarious vernaculars. — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 The Minions lose their Hollywood careers because sound arrives and nobody can understand their language, the same problem the real franchise solved 16 years ago by never giving its characters intelligible dialogue in the first place. — David Deal, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for intelligible

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin intelligibilis, from intelligere

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of intelligible was in the 14th century

Rhymes for intelligible

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Browse Nearby Words

intelligibility
intelligible
intelligible species
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Cite this Entry

“Intelligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intelligible. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on intelligible

Nglish: Translation of intelligible for Spanish Speakers

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