Distorted, as a message

• Incomprehensible, as speech
• Mixed up
• Incomprehensible, as a message
• Like a confusing report

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Word definitions in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
adjective EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES ▪ The newspapers had some garbled version of the story. ▪ The voice on the tape was too garbled to understand. EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS ▪ During the Renaissance, for example, it surfaced repeatedly albeit in somewhat garbled ...

The Collaborative International Dictionary Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
Garble \Gar"ble\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Garbled ; p. pr. & vb. n. Garbling .] [Formerly, to pick out, sort, OF. grabeler, for garbeler to examine precisely, garble spices, fr. LL. garbellare to sift; cf. Sp. garbillar to sift, garbillo a coarse sieve, L. ...

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
(''of a message'' etc) difficult to understand because it has been distorted; scrambled v (en-past of: garble )

WordNet Word definitions in WordNet
adj. lacking orderly continuity; "a confused set of instructions"; "a confused dream about the end of the world"; "disconnected fragments of a story"; "scattered thoughts" [syn: confused , disconnected , disjointed , disordered , illogical , scattered , ...

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
by 1620s of spices; by 1774 of language; past-participle adjective from garble (v.).