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decipher Definition

de·ci·pher (dē sī′fər, di-)

transitive verb

  1. to translate (a message in cipher or code) into ordinary, understandable language; decode
  2. to make out the meaning of (ancient inscriptions, illegible writing, etc.)

Etymology: de- + cipher

decipher Related Forms

de·ci′·pher·able adjective de·ci′·pher·ment noun

decipher Synonyms

decipher

v.

decode, interpret, read, make clear, translate, spell, unravel, reveal, unfold, elucidate, solve, interpret by use of a key, find the key to, disentangle, expound, render, construe, explain, unscramble, decrypt, make out, figure out, make head or tail of*, break (a code)*, crack*, dope out*; see also solve, translate 1.

Antonyms misunderstand*, fail to solve, misconstrue.

decipher Usage Examples

Object

  • hieroglyph: From what was etched in this stone, 19th century scholars were able to begin deciphering the Egyptian hieroglyphs.
  • mayan: Hair care seminar on a diverse decipher the mayan by the cruise.
  • handwriting: Handwriting 1500 - 1700 An online course to help decipher old English handwriting.
  • inscription: Talbot was also a mathematician and classical scholar, and was one of the first to decipher the cuneiform inscriptions of Nineveh, Assyria.
  • jargon: Learn when to use data or documents, how to decipher misleading industry jargon, and the key ideas of XML programming.
  • clue: Synopsis: Monaghan must decipher ghostly clues in the conclusion to yesterday's mystery.

Noun phrase with adjective complement

such: An hour is not much in which to attempt to decipher a building such as this.

Adjective complement

due: The program was also of a good standard, although the announcements were difficult to decipher due to use of a troublesome radio microphone.

Modifying Another Word

  • exactly: He ensures that the work cannot be deciphered exactly.
  • easily: They can easily decipher the effectiveness of debt solution from the kind of debts that the individual has incurred.
  • fully: They are impossible to fully decipher; their ambiguity perhaps is a reminder of one's ephemerality.
  • even: You know that most Chinese texts are written so small that the Western mind can hardly even decipher the visual information.
  • n't: Many people in the audience found they could n't decipher the words, despite their being in English.
  • not: There were many weeks and months when Bletchley Park could not decipher the intercepted messages.

Used with why or when

  • what: To help you decipher what was said we have included our own comments.
  • which: A multitude of distinct signal transduction pathways have been deciphered which connect G proteins with the ERK cascade.
  • who: Walking round the outside of the building, it's entertaining trying to decipher who 's who.
  • when: This record is best deciphered when galaxies are close enough that they can be resolved into individual stars.
  • why: So I left the screen trying to decipher why.

Preposition: of

code: With the deciphering of human genetic code, man hopes to play the role of the maker of his destiny.