garbled

1 of 2

adjective

gar·​bled ˈgär-bəld How to pronounce garbled (audio)
Synonyms of garblednext
: made unclear or confusing : distorted or mixed up
a garbled message
garbled speech
… scientific cranks—those folks who concoct garbled and grandiose pseudo-scientific theories …—Robert W. Wilson
A garbled group of syllables came over the speaker.—Tom Clancy
But so much happened afterward to him that his five-day drive from Cracow to Warsaw soon became a garbled fading memory.—Herman Wouk
Since the algorithm relies on the absolute accuracy of everything it has read to build the file, garbled information could lead to any number of mistakes.—Paul C. Schuytema

garbled

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of garble entry 1

Examples of garbled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
A couple seemingly significant lines of dialogue come out garbled through the mouthpiece. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 The caller speaks in a deep, throaty voice that at times sounds almost garbled. — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026 Somehow, those ingredients were garbled up, leading to headlines about Annabelle the doll escaping her museum. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026 One morning, on our way out to a census site, the CB radio squawked to life in a staccato gunshot of garbled Kiswahili. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for garbled

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1757, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of garbled was circa 1757

Rhymes for garbled

See All Rhymes for garbled

Browse Nearby Words

garbleable
garbled
garbler
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Cite this Entry

“Garbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garbled. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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