Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Impenetrable by light; neither transparent nor translucent.
- adj. Not reflecting light; having no luster: an opaque finish.
- adj. Impenetrable by a form of radiant energy other than visible light: a chemical solution opaque to x-rays.
- adj. So obscure as to be unintelligible: "opaque, elusive, minimal meanings” ( John Simon).
- adj. Obtuse of mind; dense. See Synonyms at dark.
- n. Something that is opaque, especially an opaque pigment used to darken parts of a photographic print or negative.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Shady; dark; hence, obscure.
- Impervious to the rays of light; not transparent.
- In entomology, having no luster: said of surfaces or colors.
- In botany, mostly used in the sense of ‘not shining,’ or ‘dull.’
- A similar ware made at Spode, introduced in 1805. Also called feldspar porcelain and ironstone china.
- n. Opacity.
- To render opaque.
- n. Something opaque; specifically, a shade which can be worn over the forehead to protect the eyes from brilliant light.
Wiktionary
- adj. Neither reflecting nor emitting light.
- adj. Allowing little light to pass through, not translucent or transparent.
- adj. figuratively Unclear, unintelligible, hard to get or explain the meaning of
- adj. figuratively Obtuse, stupid.
- adj. computing Describes a type for which higher-level callers have no knowledge of data values or their representations; all operations are carried out by the type's defined abstract operators.
- n. obsolete, poetic An area of darkness; a place or region with no light.
- n. Something which is opaque rather than translucent.
- v. transitive To make, render (more) opaque.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Impervious to the rays of light; not transparent.
- adj. colloq. Obscure; not clear; unintelligible.
- n. That which is opaque; opacity.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. not clearly understood or expressed
- adj. not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy; impenetrable to sight
Etymologies
- From Middle English opake, from Latin opacus ("shaded, shady, dark") (of unknown origin), later reinforced from Middle French opaque. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English opake, shady, and French opaque, opaque (from Old French, shady), both from Latin opācus. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“And now my chains are to be broken; I shall mount above these clouds and opaque airs in which I live, opaque, though they seem transparent, and from the heaven of truth I shall see and comprehend my relations.”
“That was the agreed signal, a word opaque enough to confuse anyone trying to listen in.”
“Pensions & Investment Research Consultants Ltd., or Pirc, recommends voting against the remuneration report, because of what it calls "opaque" disclosure and "overly complex" structure of executives' packages.”
“Paul vowed in an interview with The Hill last month that as chairman he would shine a light on the Fed's policies, which he called opaque and destructive.”
“They have told us that our atmosphere is what they call opaque, so that the stars are not visible, and then they were surprised that we know stars, that we know their music and the movements of their dance far better than beings like you who spend hours studying them through what you call telescopes.”
“The value of such a discovery was obvious from the first; and was still further enhanced by the discovery made shortly that, photographic plates are affected by the rays, thus making it possible to make permanent photographic records of pictures through what we know as opaque substances.”
A History of Science: in Five Volumes. Volume III: Modern development of the physical sciences
“To get there, Artprice limited its scope to fine-art sales at public auctions, filtering out results from what they refer to as the "opaque" gallery market.”
“Peter Schroeder at The Hill: Paul vowed in an interview with The Hill last month that as chairman he would shine a light on the Fed's policies, which he called opaque and destructive.”
“The reception, to the rear of the ground floor hall space, is all white with one purple wall to create a slightly softer and more welcoming space than the daringly dark remainder of the scheme, with white desking and a giant mirror on the chimney breast; a contemporary take on a baroque frame in opaque acrylic.”
“Keeping prices opaque is one way medical institutions seek to avoid competition and thereby keep prices up.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘opaque’.
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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CULI - wine-tasting adjectives
In this area of expertise nouns are frequently used as adjectives (almond, bacon, cider, diesel, fennel, fresh-cut hay, wool) or new adjectives are formed (appley, berrylike, citrusy, full-bodied, ...
acetic, acidic, aged, angular, appley, astringent, attractive, austere, berrylike, big, bitter, brawny and 511 more...
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Minerals and Mineralogy
List of minerals, elements, group names and geochemistry terms encountered in the science of mineralogy. I've chosen to avoid capital letters in most examples, though a great many mineral names hon...
galkhaite, xanthoconite, pyrostilpnite, polybasite, pyrargyrite, djurleite, digenite, covellite, chalcocite, cerargirite, acanthite, aeschynite and 2608 more...
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D_Verbatim
sporadic, peculiar, treacherous, niche, ambiance, ruckus, notion, voyeurism, exclusion, proselytize, opaque, perverse and 12 more...
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GRE
predilection, explicit, appeal, supplication, appealing, enchanting, ovation, pertinent, apropos, opportunely, applicable, germane and 381 more...
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Hence
Words with definitions that have a "hence" in them.
hanger, Deet, tripe, spindlelegs, fiddle, store, pluck, snap, villain, link, comedy, particular and 410 more...
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Writing Power
Words I am gathering from my reading
beetling, beetle, achromatic, tern, skink, treacly, venerable, skald, benthic, isle, capricious, sinew and 8 more...
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Metallics
Words that relate to or describe metals.
malleable, ductile, shiny, steely, brassy, dull, golden, precious, smelt, smith, tensile, clink and 39 more...
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GRE prep
Words I've studying in preparation for the GRE exam
zeal, opaque, fervid, erudite, equivocal, ethereal, assuage, placate, prodigal, precipitate, anomaly
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October Words-11337
During the month of October, post at least 10 new words to this list. Make sure you cite where you read the word (book/author/pg) and quote the context/sentence where you found it. If someone has a...
amplification, till, osmosis, osmoregulation, pinocytosis, junction, transduction, paralysis, afflicted, isotonic, diverse, entrenched and 48 more...
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fav1
ostensibly, fait accompli, edification, machination, vamp, abstruse, ebullient, tantamount, reductio, asymptotic, ad hominem, syllogism and 15 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6689 more...
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September Words-11337
During the month of September, post at least 10 new words to this list. Make sure you cite where you read the word (book/author/pg) and quote the context/sentence where you found it. If someone has...
flabbergasted, discombobulated, inclination, serendipity, savvy, profound, incarnation, myriad, confiscate, audacity, deciduous, adieu and 79 more...
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Poetry
lucid, silhouette, ethereal, illumination, serenity, requiem, adieu, celestial, esoteric, myriad, ebony, kaleidoscope and 16 more...
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Words For Novel
viridity, effigy, paragon, congested, acrid, lilting, clandestine, plethora, accolade, sardonic, naïve, reckoning and 285 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for opaque.
Aubrey Abarr Caring for your baby and young child author steven p. shelov and Tanya Remer Altmann page5 Nov 2, 2010
Charnell mack Jesus is an image of God so utterly transparent as to remain opaque except to the eyes of faith.(online dictionary) Sep 23, 2010
bilby "The book is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. The pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs. Experts are divided on the prospects for further increases in information density."
- The Book. Nov 1, 2009