opaque
not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light; not allowing light to pass through.
not transmitting radiation, sound, heat, etc.
not shining or bright; dark; dull.
hard to understand; not clear or lucid; obscure: The problem remains opaque despite explanations.
dull, stupid, or unintelligent.
something that is opaque.
Photography. a coloring matter, usually black or red, used to render part of a negative opaque.
Photography. to cover up blemishes on (a negative), especially for making a printing plate.
to cause to become opaque.
Origin of opaque
1Other words for opaque
Other words from opaque
- o·paque·ly, adverb
- o·paque·ness, noun
- sub·o·paque, adjective
- sub·o·paque·ly, adverb
- sub·o·paque·ness, noun
Words Nearby opaque
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use opaque in a sentence
So, basically, the details are, we don’t have the full details, it’s a little bit of an opaque formula, but there’s a component called the VAR of it, which is value at risk.
Elon Musk busts Clubhouse limit, fans stream to YouTube, he switches to interviewing Robinhood CEO | Mike Butcher | February 1, 2021 | TechCrunchThe exchanges with policy-setters also benefit the scientists by illuminating decision-making processes, which can seem opaque when they go beyond the models’ math to consider other factors.
The Hard Lessons of Modeling the Coronavirus Pandemic | Jordana Cepelewicz | January 28, 2021 | Quanta MagazineIt is unclear why those posts were reinstated, as Facebook is notoriously opaque on its policies and their enforcement.
5 things social media platforms can do to combat anti-LGBTQ disinformation | Brianna January | January 7, 2021 | Washington BladeOn the other stand the machines, whose algorithms possess astonishing predictive power but whose inner workings remain radically opaque to human observers.
These Were Our Favorite Tech Stories From Around the Web in 2020 | Singularity Hub Staff | January 2, 2021 | Singularity HubTo understand why, we need to examine the bipartisan history of immigration detention, as well as New Jersey’s unique county political machines and their enormous but often opaque power.
New Jersey’s unique political contours make challenging immigrant detention hard | Mary Rizzo, Whitney Strub | December 18, 2020 | Washington Post
Under Sepp Blatter, its interminable head, the body has been opaque and corrupt.
Jersey milk is thick and opaque, but Jersey cows produce much less of it—not enough to cover the coin.
The beer is a lovely golden color—slightly opaque, reminiscent of an aged Austrian Reisling, or even an older white Burgundy.
Like Berliner Weiss, these beers are unfiltered and slightly opaque.
As I organized my umbrella and shed my dripping coat, she sipped something golden and opaque from a tall pint glass.
Her eyes, too, had a curious hard opaque look, as if the old voluptuous fires had burned out; and she seemed ever on her guard.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonThere is a neat pulpit in the chapel, and it is ornamented with what seem to be panels of opaque glass.
Our Churches and Chapels | AtticusThere is considerable decorative skill displayed in the edifice; but the work looks opaque and needs brightening up.
Our Churches and Chapels | AtticusA mirror, or window glass, backed with some opaque material, should be used for the foundation of the device.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2 | VariousDeep brown or black, very opaque, and less soluble than ordinary aloes.
British Dictionary definitions for opaque
/ (əʊˈpeɪk) /
not transmitting light; not transparent or translucent
not reflecting light; lacking lustre or shine; dull
not transmitting radiant energy, such as electromagnetic or corpuscular radiation, or sound
hard to understand; unintelligible
unintelligent; dense
photog an opaque pigment used to block out particular areas on a negative
to make opaque
photog to block out particular areas, such as blemishes, on (a negative), using an opaque
Origin of opaque
1Derived forms of opaque
- opaquely, adverb
- opaqueness, noun
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
Scientific definitions for opaque
[ ō-pāk′ ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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