Definition:
Illegibility is the condition of being difficult or impossible to categorise, quantify, or predict within a system’s existing frameworks.
Usage Context:
Appears in discussions of marginalised identities, neurodivergence, informal economies, creative practice, and non-standard life paths.
Critical Note:
Illegibility is often treated as a problem to be corrected rather than a limitation of the system itself. Those who do not fit are pressured to simplify, mask, or translate themselves to be accommodated.