intelligible
gb/ɪntˈɛlɪd͡ʒəbəl/ us/ɪntˈɛlɪd͡ʒəbəl/
B2
English
~ 7200
Senses
0 senses
adjective
formal
B2
property
1
able to be understood; clear
easy to understand; clear enough for people to get the meaning
Usage pattern:
[something] is intelligible to [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "intelligible" with "intelligent". "Intelligible" describes speech, writing, or messages that can be understood, while "intelligent" describes a person or action that shows high mental ability. For example, "an intelligible explanation" (easy to understand) vs. "an intelligent student" (smart).
Synonyms
understandable (More common and less formal; very close in meaning.)
|
comprehensible (Slightly formal; often used in similar contexts to "intelligible".)
|
clear (More general and common; can also refer to things other than meaning, like appearance.)
Antonyms
unintelligible (Direct opposite; describes speech or writing that cannot be understood.)
|
confusing (Suggests something is hard to follow or causes misunderstanding.)
Collocations
intelligible speech
|intelligible explanation
|clearly intelligible
|barely intelligible
|mutually intelligible
|make [something] intelligible
Themes
communication
|education
|language
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The recording was so noisy that only a few words were intelligible.
- He gave a brief but intelligible summary of the report.
- Try to keep your handwriting intelligible so the teacher can read it.
- The legal text has been rewritten in more intelligible language for the public.
- Her accent is strong, but she is perfectly intelligible once you get used to it.
Learner examples
- The child’s speech was slow but intelligible.
- This book is not intelligible to beginners.
- Please speak more slowly so you are intelligible on the phone.
- The message was not intelligible because of the bad line.
- He wrote a short, intelligible email about the problem.
adjective
technical
C1
property
2
grasped by intellect, not senses
in philosophy, known by thinking and reason, not by seeing, hearing, or touching
Usage pattern:
[something] is intelligible rather than sensible
Common mistake:
Learners may assume this sense is just a formal way to say "easy to understand", but in philosophy it contrasts with "sensible" and refers to things grasped only by the mind (like abstract forms or mathematical objects).
Synonyms
conceptual (Relates to ideas rather than physical things; overlaps in philosophical contexts.)
|
abstract (Emphasizes not being physical or concrete; broader and more common outside philosophy.)
Antonyms
sensible (In philosophical use, means "perceived by the senses", the opposite of "intelligible" in this sense.)
|
empirical (Based on observation or experience, rather than pure thought.)
Collocations
intelligible world
|intelligible realm
|intelligible forms
|intelligible order
Themes
philosophy
|thought
|science
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Plato distinguished between the sensible world and the intelligible world of forms.
- For many philosophers, mathematical objects are paradigms of intelligible entities.
- The theory describes an intelligible order that lies behind what we can see and touch.
Learner examples
- In this text, the writer talks about an intelligible world of ideas.
- The teacher said numbers can be seen as intelligible objects.
- Some philosophers say there is an intelligible reality beyond what we see.
Grammar
Dictionary form
intelligible
IPA
GB/ɪntˈɛlɪd͡ʒəbəl/
US/ɪntˈɛlɪd͡ʒəbəl/
Syllables & stress
in - tel - li - gible (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (tel)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: intelligible
Word family
Core family
intelligibly
adverb
intelligibility
noun
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
unintelligible
adjective C1
unintelligibly
adverb
Advanced or less common
Expressions
make oneself intelligible
1/mˈeɪk wˌʌnsˈɛlf ɪntˈɛlɪd͡ʒəbəl/
fixed phrase
speak or write so others understand
to speak or write in a way that other people can understand
Examples
- He shouted slowly to make himself intelligible over the loud music.
- I tried to make myself intelligible, but the connection was too poor.
mutually intelligible
1/mjˈut͡ʃuəli ɪntˈɛlɪd͡ʒəbəl/
fixed phrase
technical
languages understandable to each other's speakers
Used about languages that people can understand even if they speak different but related languages.
Examples
- Spanish and Portuguese are often described as mutually intelligible to a large extent.
- Danish and Norwegian are largely mutually intelligible.
- The two dialects are not fully mutually intelligible, especially for older speakers.
- These dialects are mutually intelligible in spoken form.
- The two varieties are no longer mutually intelligible for most speakers.