[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/unreadable/)

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# unreadable

adjective (unreadable)

«unreadable» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Unreadable writing is so messy, faded or small that you cannot read it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unreadable/#m1)
2. An unreadable book or text is so boring or badly written that it is hard to keep reading. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unreadable/#m2)
3. An unreadable face shows no feeling, so you cannot tell what the person thinks. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unreadable/#m3)
4. (computers) An unreadable file or disk cannot be opened by the computer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unreadable/#m4)

### In the lessons

Used about handwriting, old letters, books, faces in stories and broken files. Phrases: «almost unreadable», «an unreadable expression».

### Examples

- The rain made the note unreadable. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unreadable/#x1)
- The doctor's handwriting was unreadable. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unreadable/#x2)
- The old gravestone was worn and unreadable. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unreadable/#x3)
- The book was so dull it was unreadable. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unreadable/#x4)
- Her face was unreadable as she opened the letter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unreadable/#x5)
- The memory stick was damaged and the files were unreadable. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unreadable/#x6)

### Note

Opposite: «readable». Similar to «illegible», which is only about handwriting or print. An unreadable face is a calm, blank face: it does not mean the person is angry.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «unreadable» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unreadable/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«unreadable» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/unreadable.html) on Mova free.