opaque

[oh-peyk]

adjective

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.

noun

something that is opaque.

Photography. a coloring matter, usually black or red, used to render part of a negative opaque.

verb (used with object), o·paqued, o·paqu·ing.

Photography. to cover up blemishes on (a negative), especially for making a printing plate.

to cause to become opaque.

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 for opaque

1. murky, cloudy, muddy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for opaquely

Contemporary Examples of opaquely

Netanyahu asked the public to support the prisoner release, opaquely explaining that it was “for the good of the country.”
Why Did Netanyahu Release Palestinian Prisoners?
Abraham Katsman
August 6, 2013

Historical Examples of opaquely

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

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

noun

photog an opaque pigment used to block out particular areas on a negative

verb opaques, opaquing or opaqued (tr)

to make opaque

photog to block out particular areas, such as blemishes, on (a negative), using an opaque

Derived Formsopaquely, adverbopaqueness, noun

Word Origin for opaque

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.

opaquely in Medicine

opaque

[ō-pāk′]

adj.

Impenetrable by light; neither transparent nor translucent.

opaquely in Science

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.