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opaque

[oh-peyk]
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adjective
  1. not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light; not allowing light to pass through.
  2. not transmitting radiation, sound, heat, etc.
  3. not shining or bright; dark; dull.
  4. hard to understand; not clear or lucid; obscure: The problem remains opaque despite explanations.
  5. dull, stupid, or unintelligent.
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noun
  1. something that is opaque.
  2. Photography. a coloring matter, usually black or red, used to render part of a negative opaque.
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verb (used with object), o·paqued, o·paqu·ing.
  1. Photography. to cover up blemishes on (a negative), especially for making a printing plate.
  2. to cause to become opaque.
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Origin of opaque

1375–1425; late Middle English opake < Latin opācus shaded
Related formso·paque·ly, adverbo·paque·ness, nounsub·o·paque, adjectivesub·o·paque·ly, adverbsub·o·paque·ness, noun

Synonyms

See more synonyms for opaque on Thesaurus.com
1. murky, cloudy, muddy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for opaque

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Daylight was scarcely visible through the opaque window-panes.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • Around us were opaque mountains of clouds with irradiated edges.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • Some days—and these were the most distressing of all—an opaque veil of smoke enveloped Paris.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • But where is the opaque breath of the storm, where are the clouds?

    The Book of Khalid

    Ameen Rihani

  • The spores are broadly elliptic-fusiform, black, opaque, 107.

British Dictionary definitions for opaque

opaque

adjective
  1. not transmitting light; not transparent or translucent
  2. not reflecting light; lacking lustre or shine; dull
  3. not transmitting radiant energy, such as electromagnetic or corpuscular radiation, or sound
  4. hard to understand; unintelligible
  5. unintelligent; dense
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noun
  1. photog an opaque pigment used to block out particular areas on a negative
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verb opaques, opaquing or opaqued (tr)
  1. to make opaque
  2. photog to block out particular areas, such as blemishes, on (a negative), using an opaque
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Derived Formsopaquely, adverbopaqueness, noun

Word Origin

C15: from Latin opācus shady
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for opaque

adj.

early 15c., opake, from Latin opacus "shaded, in the shade, shady, dark, darkened, obscure," of unknown origin. Spelling influenced after c.1650 by French opaque (c.1500), from the Latin. Figurative use from 1761. Related: Opaquely; opaqueness.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
opaque in Medicine

opaque

(ō-pāk′)
adj.
  1. Impenetrable by light; neither transparent nor translucent.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
opaque in Science

opaque

[ō-pāk′]
  1. Resistant to the transmission of certain kinds of radiation, usually light. Metals and many minerals are opaque to light, while being transparent to radio waves and neutrinos. Compare translucent transparent.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.