unrecognizable

/ənrɛkəgˈnaɪzaɪbəl/

/ənrɛkɒgˈnaɪzaɪbəl/

Anything that's unrecognizable can't be identified, often because it has changed so much. If your brother's Halloween costume is so elaborate that you can't even tell it's him under all that makeup, he's unrecognizable.

This adjective is often used for things that have been badly damaged: "After the hurricane's destruction, the town was unrecognizable." You can also use it in a more positive way: "Once my bike was repaired and painted it was completely unrecognizable!" Unrecognizable comes from the prefix un-, or "not," and the Latin recognoscere, "recall to mind or know again."

Definitions of unrecognizable

1. adjective

   unable to be identified, often because of significant change
   synonyms: unrecognisable

   unidentifiable

   impossible to identify