invisible

1 of 2

adjective

in·​vis·​i·​ble (ˌ)in-ˈvi-zə-bəl How to pronounce invisible (audio)
1
a
: incapable by nature of being seen : not perceptible by vision
a movie about an invisible man
invisible ultraviolet light
b
: inaccessible to view : hidden
an invisible hinge
also : not marked by outward signs
an invisible illness
c
: not openly acknowledged or made known
Had I offended him? Did I cross an invisible line?Denis Wilson
There are still invisible barriers and glass ceilings which discourage women from studying STEM fields …Forbes (online)
d
: not able to be recognized or identified
an invisible enemy/threat
… deepened their belief that invisible forces were out to control them …Luke Mogelson
2
: of such small size or unobtrusive quality as to be hardly noticeable : inconspicuous
an invisible scar
… offering consumers invisible braces that can straighten their smiles in a matter of months without them having to visit the orthodontist …Danielle Jackson
3
: not noticed or acknowledged : treated as if invisible : overlooked
To now dominate in an industry that a year ago I was invisible in … is something I unapologetically take great pride in.Fallon Gregory
… highlighting the narratives of society's most underserved and invisible groups.Kevin Varzandeh
4
a
: not appearing in published financial statements
invisible assets
b
: not reflected in statistics
Teaching English to foreign visitors is estimated to be Britain's sixth largest invisible export …The Economist
invisibility noun
invisibleness noun
invisibly adverb

invisible

2 of 2

noun

plural invisibles
: an invisible person or thing : someone or something that cannot be seen or perceived
… the significant aspect of his reign, its failure of concern for the religious crisis, has been overlooked as the invisibles of history usually are.Barbara W. Tuchman
"There are too many invisibles in the ad business. It depends too much on intangible relationships and chemistry."Helen Ver Standig

Examples of invisible in a Sentence

Adjective a thriller about an invisible man With the telescope we can see details of the planet's surface that are ordinarily invisible. She feels as if her success is being blocked by an invisible barrier. Homelessness is no longer an invisible problem for this city.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Public health experts warn about a buildup of invisible conditions, limiting children’s development and causing early deaths. Peter Guest, WIRED, 26 Mar. 2024 Enter Gabriel Mercier at The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology in Spain and colleagues who have built transparent photodetectors that can make cameras more or less invisible. The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024 Charles Devlin, at the time a judge overseeing guardianship cases in Westchester County, traveled to the state capital to lobby for the members of this largely invisible constituency, who are often tucked away in nursing homes and other facilities, far from public view. Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 20 Mar. 2024 Latu and Willis were 2023 draft picks, but invisible rookies. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 Hibi almost became invisible, thanks to the American government’s mass roundup and incarceration of Japanese immigrants starting in February 1942. Alicia Ault, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 These invisible particles have been found on the highest mountains, in the deepest ocean sediments. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 But to her own department, this crossed an invisible line. Helena Andrews-Dyer, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Independent sellers are the invisible secret behind the massive selection on Amazon’s marketplace, accounting for more than 60% of all goods sold on Amazon for the first time ever in the fourth quarter of 2023. Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'invisible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin invisibilis, from in- + visibilis visible

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1635, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of invisible was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near invisible

Cite this Entry

“Invisible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invisible. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

invisible

adjective
in·​vis·​i·​ble (ˈ)in-ˈviz-ə-bəl How to pronounce invisible (audio)
1
: impossible to see
sound is invisible
2
: being so small or slight as to be hardly noticeable
an invisible error
invisibility noun
invisibly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on invisible

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