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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

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1. murky, cloudy, muddy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for opaquely

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • After they had subsided into their seats, Chet's opaquely bluish eyes made another tour of inspection, in curiosity and wonder.

    David Harum

    Edward Noyes Westcott

  • A lamp was burning on a wall-shelf, but its flickering flame barely threw a glow above the top of the opaquely smoked chimney.

    Down the Yellowstone

    Lewis R. Freeman

British Dictionary definitions for opaquely

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 opaquely

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
opaquely 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.
opaquely 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.