unreadable
Impossible to decipher
Unreadable describes text or writing that cannot be read.
Handwriting may be unreadable because it's illegible—too messy or faded to decipher: The water-damaged manuscript was unreadable.
A book may be unreadable because it's too dull, dense, or poorly written to get through: I found the novel unreadable after fifty pages.
Data or files are unreadable when corrupted or in an incompatible format.
Careless, illegible writing
- scribbleWrite without care
- indecipherableImpossible to understand
- smudgedBlurred by contact
- blurredIndistinct, lacking clarity
faint · handwriting · messy · chicken scratch · unintelligible · illegible · smeared · faded
Made impure or dishonest
- garbledConfused and unintelligible
- fragmentedBroken into pieces
- deterioratedBecame worse over time
- weatheredEroded by exposure
water-damaged · torn · crumbling · eroded · degraded · ruined · obliterated · defaced
Without marks or content
- vacantWithout an occupant
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
- impassiveWithout visible emotion
- expressionlessShowing no feeling
stony · deadpan · poker-faced · unblinking · glazed · sphinx-like · stoic · guarded
Closely packed together
- impenetrableImpossible to pass through
- incomprehensibleImpossible to understand
- convolutedExcessively complex or twisted
- opaqueImpassable to light
abstruse · inscrutable · unfathomable · labyrinthine · arcane · esoteric · obtuse · inaccessible
Hidden writing system
- codeSymbolic communication system
- encryptedTransformed into cipher
- encodedConverted to cipher
- secretConcealed information
hidden · mysterious · indecipherable · obscured · puzzling · enigmatic · cryptogram · steganography
scrawl
Careless, illegible writing
- scribbleWrite without care
- indecipherableImpossible to understand
- smudgedBlurred by contact
blurred · faint · handwriting · messy · chicken scratch · unintelligible · illegible · smeared · faded · cramped
corrupted
Made impure or dishonest
- garbledConfused and unintelligible
- fragmentedBroken into pieces
- deterioratedBecame worse over time
weathered · water-damaged · torn · crumbling · eroded · degraded · ruined · obliterated · defaced · marred
blank
Without marks or content
- vacantWithout an occupant
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
- impassiveWithout visible emotion
expressionless · stony · deadpan · poker-faced · unblinking · glazed · sphinx-like · stoic · guarded · impenetrable
dense
Closely packed together
- impenetrableImpossible to pass through
- incomprehensibleImpossible to understand
- convolutedExcessively complex or twisted
opaque · abstruse · inscrutable · unfathomable · labyrinthine · arcane · esoteric · obtuse · inaccessible · technical
cipher
Hidden writing system
secret · hidden · mysterious · indecipherable · obscured · puzzling · enigmatic · cryptogram · steganography · redacted
- Poker Facepoker face, deadpan, expressionless, masklike, inscrutable
- mysteriousmysterious, cryptic, enigmatic, arcane, obscure
- introvertsintrovert, introverted, shy, reserved, loner
- detachmentemotional numbness, detached, dispassion, disengaged, indifference
unreadablecomprehensible
Able to be understood
intelligible · clear · accessible · lucid · understandable
unreadablereadable
Easy to understand
engaging · compelling · gripping · page-turner · absorbing