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

The production has a lot of recorded sound and this has its issues; some of the language therein is inaudible, which is a shame, albeit something easily corrected. —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025

Though their conversation was inaudible over the sounds in the gymnasium, Abdul-Jabbar seemed to make a joke about Johnson wearing Michigan State gear — looking down at his own letterman jacket and back up at Johnson’s green hoodie. —Angel Saunders, People.com, 6 Feb. 2025

Her inaudible grunt gives way to another coughing fit. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 30 Jan. 2025

Earlier this month, on Jan. 20, Cyrus’ Liberty Ball appearance was plagued with technical issues, leaving his guitar inaudible and forcing him to haphazard a cappella performance. —Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for inaudible

• audible
• laudable

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