opacity

American  

[oh-pas-i-tee] / oʊˈpæs ɪ ti /

noun

plural

opacities

1. the state or quality of being opaque.

2. something opaque.

3. the degree to which a substance is opaque; capacity for being opaque.

4. Photography. the proportion of the light that is absorbed by the emulsion on any given area of a film or plate.

5. obscurity of meaning.

6. mental dullness.

7. Medicine/Medical. an opaque spot or area in normally clear or transparent tissue, as a cataract of the eye.

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opacity British  

/ əʊˈpæsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being opaque

2. the degree to which something is opaque

3. an opaque object or substance

4. obscurity of meaning; unintelligibility

5. physics photog the ratio of the intensity of light incident on a medium, such as a photographic film, to that transmitted through the medium

6. logic philosophy the property of being an opaque context

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Other Word Forms

• nonopacity noun

Etymology

Origin of opacity

First recorded in 1550–60, opacity is from the Latin word opācitās shade. See opaque, -ity

Example Sentences

We are on a philosophical fence, she says: We tolerate the opacity of human decision-making despite years of research showing our own fallibility.

From The Wall Street Journal

But PBMs will continue to face scrutiny, not simply because of how much money they make, but because of their opacity, which means employers and regulators can’t easily tell whether they are getting good deals.

From The Wall Street Journal

Leave it to Wall Street to take a cheap, simple, elegant idea and junk it up with fees, complexity and opacity.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a market where opacity is the whole point, it is also a tricky feat.

From The Wall Street Journal

For markets already uneasy about the outlook for inflation, that opacity could become another source of volatility.

From Barron's