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# illegible

«illegible» in Mova's school dictionary: **Too messy, faded or unclear to be read** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

adjective (illegible, more illegible)

### meaning for a pupil

Too messy, faded or unclear to be read. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/illegible/#m1)

### sense in the lessons

In school about handwriting; in everyday life about faded signs and smudged notes. It tells the reader that words cannot be read. Phrases: illegible handwriting, almost illegible.

### examples

- The doctor's handwriting was illegible. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/illegible/#x1)
- Rain made the note illegible. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/illegible/#x2)
- Please write neatly, this answer is illegible. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/illegible/#x3)
- The old gravestone was worn and illegible. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/illegible/#x4)
- My signature looks illegible but it's my name. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/illegible/#x5)
- The smudged ink left the last line illegible. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/illegible/#x6)

### note

Opposite: legible (clear enough to read). Noun: illegibility. Do not confuse with illegal (against the law) or ineligible (not allowed to take part).

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «illegible» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/illegible/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.