inaudible

adjective

in·​au·​di·​ble (ˌ)i-ˈnȯ-də-bəl 

: not audible

inaudible comments

inaudibility

(ˌ)i-ˌnȯ-də-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

inaudibly

(ˌ)i-ˈnȯ-də-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

With its negative prefix in-, inaudible means the opposite of audible. What's clearly audible to you may be inaudible to your elderly grandfather. Modern spy technology can turn inaudible conversations into audible ones with the use of high-powered directional microphones, so if you think you're being spied on, make sure there's a lot of other noise around you. And if you don't want everyone around you to know you're bored, keep your sighs inaudible.

Examples of inaudible in a Sentence

She spoke so quietly that she was almost inaudible.

The sound is inaudible to humans but can be heard by dogs.

Recent Examples on the Web

After an inaudible exchange, the couple embraced, with White smiling and seemingly dabbing a tear from her eye. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024

After Vazquez's draw, a woman's voice was heard but inaudible. —Dylan Wickman, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024

My [inaudible 00:16:06] refugee settlement was established in [inaudible 00:16:08], including Angola, DRC, Luanda. —Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2023

From mics not being on to monitors and sound levels being all over the place, a few sets (like the completely inaudible first song of Basement’s performance) were hindered by issues. —Josh Chesler, SPIN, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin inaudibilis, from Latin in- + Late Latin audibilis audible

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

inaudible

adjective

in·​au·​di·​ble (ˈ)in-ˈȯd-ə-bəl 

: impossible to hear : not audible

inaudibility

(ˌ)in-ˌȯd-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

inaudibly

(ˈ)in-ˈȯd-ə-blē 

adverb