unintelligibility
|un-in-tel-li-gi-bi-li-ty|
/ˌʌnɪnˌtɛlɪˈdʒɪbɪlɪti/
not able to be understood
Etymology
'unintelligibility' originates from English, formed from the prefix 'un-' and the noun 'intelligibility', where 'un-' meant 'not' and 'intelligibility' traces to Latin 'intelligibilis' meaning 'able to be understood'.
'intelligibilis' in Latin (from the verb 'intelligere', to understand) passed into Old French as 'intelligible' and into Middle English as 'intelligible'; English formed 'intelligibility' with the suffix '-ity', and the negative prefix 'un-' was later added to produce 'unintelligibility'.
Initially it meant 'not able to be understood'; over time the core meaning has remained the same, though usage has broadened to technical contexts (e.g., signal or speech intelligibility measures).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the quality or state of being unintelligible; inability to be understood or comprehended (e.g., speech, text, signal, or idea that cannot be made sense of).
The unintelligibility of the recording made it impossible to transcribe the interview accurately.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/25 21:28