transparency

American  

[trans-pair-uhn-see, -par-] / trænsˈpɛər ən si, -ˈpær- /

noun

• transparencies
  plural

1. 

   Also transparence. the quality or state of being transparent.

2. something transparent, especially a picture, design, or the like on glass or some translucent substance, made visible by light shining through from behind.

3. Photography.

   1. the proportion of the light that is passed through the emulsion on an area of a photographic image.

   2. a photographic print on a clear base for viewing by transmitted light.

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transparency British  

/ trænsˈpærənsɪ, -ˈpɛər- /

noun

1. Also called: transparence. the state of being transparent

2. Also called: slide. a positive photograph on a transparent base, usually mounted in a frame or between glass plates. It can be viewed by means of a slide projector

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Usage

What does transparency mean? Transparency is the quality or state of being transparent. It is perhaps most commonly used in a figurative way to refer to a state in which things are free from any attempt to hide something, as in The administration has been praised for its transparency with the press. It can also be used to mean a state in which something is literally transparent—able to be seen through or allowing light to pass through clearly. A clear glass window is transparent in this way. However, something doesn’t need to be completely clear to be considered transparent. A fine mesh that is able to be seen through could be described as transparent. The word translucence (the noun form of the adjective translucent) is sometimes used as a synonym for transparency. In technical contexts, though, describing something as translucent means that it allows light to pass through but diffuses it so that whatever is on the other side cannot be fully seen. For example, a frosted glass window could be said to be translucent but not transparent (you can see what’s on the other side, but not clearly). Still, in everyday conversation, these literal senses of the words are typically used to mean the same thing. Another figurative sense of transparency refers to the state of being obvious or easy to understand or figure out, as in I always appreciate transparency in instructions—the simpler the better. Transparency can also refer to something that is transparent. More specifically, it’s used to refer to a clear sheet (also called a slide) featuring an image that can be projected through the use of a slide projector. Example: Consumer advocates have been pushing the company to increase transparency around its supply chain.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nontransparence
  noun
• nontransparency
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• transparencies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of transparency

From the Medieval Latin word trānspārentia, dating back to 1585–95. See transparent, -ency

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Explanation

The condition of being clear or transparent is transparency. The transparency of your car's windshield might be affected by how badly your car needs to be washed. Something has transparency if you can see through it, like the ice on the top of a frozen lake or a glass. Transparency can also refer to a figurative kind of clearness or openness, which is what people mean when they talk about "government transparency." If you can see clearly, without anything being hidden, what you're looking at (or through) has transparency. Its root is the Latin word transparentem, which means "see light through."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transparency transparencies

“The Department remains committed to transparency and to keeping the public informed,” the spokesperson, Officer Jeff Lee, wrote in an email.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

Meanwhile, Tory shadow cabinet minister Mike Wood has said there is "so little transparency" around No10 North after ministers told him they could not reveal figures on headcounts and office attendance.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Meaning "Star of the Forest", Vantara in August pledged to "respond to criticism through dialogue, transparency and evidence -- not litigation".

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

That law also includes transparency provisions and a requirement for PBMs to give their clients the rebates paid by drug manufacturers, among other changes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Little bits of peaches or pineapple are mired within it, suspended in red jiggling transparency.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Each section fills out the fuller picture as though Cregger is layering transparencies on top of an overhead projector.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025

The collection, which was sold with full copyright, consisted of 38 original prints, 12 rolls of film and colour transparencies, all taken in 1964 and 1965.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2023

There are also more than 70,000 pictures, prints, slides, negatives, large format transparencies and contact sheets taken by famed photographers including Terry O’Neill and Helmut Newton.

From Reuters ● Feb. 23, 2023

The Philharmonic can certainly play the Adès concerto, but its textures were not as clear or vivid on Thursday as they can be: the darknesses not as brutal nor the transparencies as shimmering.

From New York Times ● Feb. 17, 2023

He had made transparencies of the letters from Dr. Barnes and put them on the overhead projector so the whole class could see them while he explained what was happening.

From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements

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