illegible meaning

illegible means 'not clear enough to read'.

illegible :

unreadable, unclear

adjective

▪ His handwriting is illegible.

▪ His handwriting is unreadable.

▪ The note was illegible due to the rain.

▪ The note was unclear because of the rain.

paraphrasing

▪ unreadable – not able to be read

▪ indecipherable – not able to be understood

▪ unrecognizable – not able to be recognized

▪ unclear – not clear

illegible

Pronunciation

illegible [ɪˈlɛdʒəbl]

The stress is on 'leg' and sounds like 'ih-lej-uh-bul'.

Common phrases and grammar about illegible

illegible - Common meaning

adjective
unreadable, unclear

Part of Speech Changes for "illegible"

▪ legible (adjective) – clear enough to read

▪ illegibly (adverb) – in a way that is not clear enough to read

Common Expressions with "illegible"

▪ illegible handwriting – writing that cannot be read

▪ illegible text – text that is unclear

▪ make illegible – to cause something to be unreadable

▪ become illegible – to turn unclear or unreadable

Important examples of illegible in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, illegible is often used to describe unclear writing or text.

▪The document was illegible due to water damage.
▪The document could not be read because of water damage.

Example of a confusing word: eligible (qualified)

▪The document was eligible due to water damage.
▪The document was qualified due to water damage.
"Illegible" is an adjective meaning "not clear enough to be read," typically used to describe handwriting or printed text. In the sentence "The document was illegible due to water damage," the usage is correct as it describes the document's unreadability. "Eligible," on the other hand, means "qualified" or "suitable" for something and does not relate to readability. Saying "The document was eligible" is grammatically incorrect in this context and does not convey the intended meaning. Therefore, "illegible" is the correct choice.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

Illegible is used as an adjective to describe something that cannot be read, often appearing in grammar questions to modify nouns.

▪The handwriting was illegible.
▪The handwriting could not be read.

illegible

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

illegible handwriting

'writing that cannot be read', used in contexts where clarity is important.

▪His illegible handwriting made the note hard to understand.
▪His unclear writing made the note hard to understand.

render illegible

means 'to make something unreadable'.

▪The rain rendered the text illegible.
▪The rain made the text unreadable.

Differences between similar words and illegible

illegible

,

unreadable

differences

Illegible is used for writing that cannot be read due to clarity, while unreadable can also refer to content that is not engaging.

illegible
▪The report was illegible after the spill.
▪The report could not be read after the spill.
unreadable
▪The book was unreadable due to its boring content.
▪The book was not interesting to read.
illegible

Words with the same origin as illegible

The origin of illegible

The word's etymology is not clear.

Word structure

The analysis of the word's composition is unclear.

Words with the same origin

The word's root is unclear or difficult to confirm.

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