invisible

in-VIZ-uh-bul/ɪnˈvɪzəb(ə)l/

8 meanings of invisible

1
adjective
Not able to be seen with the eyes, and hidden from sight.
Like air: you cannot see it, but it is all around you.
The wind is invisible, but you can feel it on your face.
Germs are invisible without a microscope.
Similarunseen, hidden, imperceptible, undetectable, obscured
Oppositevisible, apparent
Note
2
adjective
Hidden inside or underneath, so it does not show on the outside.
Like the roots of a tree, hidden under the ground.
The crack inside the pipe was invisible from the outside.
He was upset, but his feelings were invisible to his friends.
Similarhidden, latent
Oppositevisible, apparent, obvious, evident
3
adjective
Treated as if you are not there and ignored by other people.
Like a ghost that people walk right past without noticing.
The new student felt invisible because no one talked to him.
Quiet workers can feel invisible in big meetings.
Similarunnoticed, overlooked, unseen, unacknowledged
Oppositerecognized, acknowledged
Note
4
adjective
Shown as offline in a chat app even though you are really online.
Like watching a room from behind a curtain: you see everyone, but no one sees you.
She went invisible on the chat app so no one would message her.
His name was not on the list because he was invisible, not really offline.
Similarhidden
Oppositevisible, online
Note
5
verbtransitive
To make a person or thing hidden or ignored, so others do not notice them.
Some history books invisible the women who helped win the war.
The thick fog invisibled the boats near the shore.
Similarerase, obscure, hide, conceal, marginalize
Oppositereveal, highlight
Note

Less common meanings

6
nounobsolete
A being or thing that cannot be seen, especially God.
The old preacher told the children to trust the Invisible, who watches over everyone.
Long ago, farmers prayed to the Invisible for rain and a good harvest.
Note
7
nounobsolete
A member of the Rosicrucians, a secret group whose members hid that they belonged to it.
People in the town whispered that the quiet new doctor was an invisible.
Some said an invisible could live in a city for years and never be found out.
Note
8
nounobsolete
A person long ago who believed the true church was spiritual and could not be seen.
The priest argued for hours with an invisible who said no building could hold the true church.
Invisibles. Heretics who denied the visibility of the Church
1872, Orby Shipley, A Glossary of Ecclesiastical TermsHere, Invisibles refers to people who believed the true church could not be seen.
Note

Practice

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Origin

It came from Latin, through French and then Middle English. It is made from 'in-' plus 'visible', meaning 'not visible'.