opaque
Americanadjective
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not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light; not allowing light to pass through.
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not transmitting radiation, sound, heat, etc.
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not shining or bright; dark; dull.
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hard to understand; not clear or lucid; obscure.
The problem remains opaque despite explanations.
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dull, stupid, or unintelligent.
noun
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something that is opaque.
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Photography. a coloring matter, usually black or red, used to render part of a negative opaque.
verb (used with object)
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Photography. to cover up blemishes on (a negative), especially for making a printing plate.
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to cause to become opaque.
adjective
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not transmitting light; not transparent or translucent
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not reflecting light; lacking lustre or shine; dull
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not transmitting radiant energy, such as electromagnetic or corpuscular radiation, or sound
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hard to understand; unintelligible
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unintelligent; dense
noun
verb
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to make opaque
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photog to block out particular areas, such as blemishes, on (a negative), using an opaque
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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.
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Compare translucent transparent
Other Word Forms
- opaquely adverb
- opaqueness noun
- subopaque adjective
- subopaquely adverb
- subopaqueness noun
Etymology
Origin of opaque
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English opake, from Latin opācus “shaded”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Where things get the most opaque with finances is with alternative investments that don’t have the same kind of reporting as stocks and bonds.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
And like subprime, private credit is opaque, mostly unregulated and connected to other parts of the financial system including banks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
As with private equity, the grading of private loans is more opaque than for their public market counterparts.
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
But their problem is that they can't prove it because of the historically opaque nature of UKRI's accounting system.
From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026
It submerged and vanished beneath the opaque green water.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
