Irrecognizable

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪˈɹɛkə(ɡ)naɪzəbəl/

Definitions

1. Impossible to identify or recognize due to changes or poor condition
2. So altered or obscured that it cannot be known or distinguished
3. Unable to be acknowledged because it looks or appears very different

Etymology: "Irrecognizable" is simply the English prefix "ir-" attached to "recognizable," and the prefix does the work here. "Ir-" is the form of the negating prefix "in-" used before words beginning with "r," so "irrecognizable" means, literally, not recognizable: a face, town or voice so altered that it can no longer be identified. "Recognizable" itself comes from "recognize," which in turn descends from the Latin "recognoscere," meaning to know again or to examine closely. The "-able" ending marks something that can be done, so "recognizable" means capable of being known again. Stacking the negating prefix onto it gives the adjective its sense of changed beyond identification.

Synonyms: unidentifiable, indistinct, unrecognizable, obscured

Antonyms: recognizable, identifiable, distinct, clear