Meaning & use

garbled

adjective·Academic

Confused, distorted, or unclear, especially describing a message or transmission.

See it in a sentence

The radio signal was so garbled that the pilot could barely make out the instructions.

Her explanation came out garbled because she was speaking much too quickly.

A note on using this word

Garbled most often describes spoken or transmitted messages that have become jumbled, rather than physical objects.

Words with a similar meaning

distortedmuddled

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

clear

Make it your own

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