English Meaning & Definitions
The quality or state of being clear, comprehensible, or easy to understand, particularly in relation to speech, writing, or transmitted signals.
- “The static on the radio line severely compromised the intelligibility of the pilot's transmission.”
- “Linguists study the mutual intelligibility between closely related dialects to determine if they are distinct languages.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “intelligibility”.
Derived from the Latin 'intelligibilis' (meaning 'perceptible to the intellect' or 'comprehensible'), which comes from 'intelligere' ('to understand, perceive, or choose between'). The suffix '-ity' was added in Middle English via Old French to denote the state, quality, or condition of being intelligible.
Think of 'intelligent' + 'ability' — it is the 'ability' of a message to be understood by an 'intelligent' listener.
Frequently Asked Questions About “intelligibility”
1. What is the meaning of “intelligibility” in English?
In English, intelligibility (noun) is defined as: “The quality or state of being clear, comprehensible, or easy to understand, particularly in relation to speech, writing, or transmitted signals.”.
2. How do you use “intelligibility” in a sentence?
“The static on the radio line severely compromised the intelligibility of the pilot's transmission.”
3. What are English synonyms of “intelligibility”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “intelligibility”?
Derived from the Latin 'intelligibilis' (meaning 'perceptible to the intellect' or 'comprehensible'), which comes from 'intelligere' ('to understand, perceive, or choose between'). The suffix '-ity' was added in Middle English via Old French to denote the state, quality, or condition of being intelligible.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.