transparency

American  

[trans-pair-uhn-see, -par-] / trænsˈpɛər ən si, -ˈpær- /

noun

transparencies plural

1. Also transparence. the quality or state of being transparent.

2. something transparent, especially a picture, design, or the like on glass or some translucent substance, made visible by light shining through from behind.

3. Photography.

   1. the proportion of the light that is passed through the emulsion on an area of a photographic image.

   2. a photographic print on a clear base for viewing by transmitted light.

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transparency British  

/ -ˈpɛər-, trænsˈpærənsɪ /

noun

1. Also called: transparence.  the state of being transparent

2. Also called: slide.  a positive photograph on a transparent base, usually mounted in a frame or between glass plates. It can be viewed by means of a slide projector

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Usage

What does transparency mean? Transparency is the quality or state of being transparent. It is perhaps most commonly used in a figurative way to refer to a state in which things are free from any attempt to hide something, as in The administration has been praised for its transparency with the press. It can also be used to mean a state in which something is literally transparent—able to be seen through or allowing light to pass through clearly. A clear glass window is transparent in this way. However, something doesn’t need to be completely clear to be considered transparent. A fine mesh that is able to be seen through could be described as transparent. The word translucence (the noun form of the adjective translucent) is sometimes used as a synonym for transparency. In technical contexts, though, describing something as translucent means that it allows light to pass through but diffuses it so that whatever is on the other side cannot be fully seen. For example, a frosted glass window could be said to be translucent but not transparent (you can see what’s on the other side, but not clearly). Still, in everyday conversation, these literal senses of the words are typically used to mean the same thing. Another figurative sense of transparency refers to the state of being obvious or easy to understand or figure out, as in I always appreciate transparency in instructions—the simpler the better. Transparency can also refer to something that is transparent. More specifically, it’s used to refer to a clear sheet (also called a slide) featuring an image that can be projected through the use of a slide projector. Example: Consumer advocates have been pushing the company to increase transparency around its supply chain.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nontransparence
  noun
• nontransparency
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• transparencies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of transparency

From the Medieval Latin word trānspārentia, dating back to 1585–95. See transparent, -ency

Explanation

The condition of being clear or transparent is transparency. The transparency of your car's windshield might be affected by how badly your car needs to be washed. Something has transparency if you can see through it, like the ice on the top of a frozen lake or a glass. Transparency can also refer to a figurative kind of clearness or openness, which is what people mean when they talk about "government transparency." If you can see clearly, without anything being hidden, what you're looking at (or through) has transparency. Its root is the Latin word transparentem, which means "see light through."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transparency transparencies

Deepfakes and other AI-generated content must be labelled from Sunday, as the European Union's sweeping artificial intelligence transparency rules kick in.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Leon Botstein’s conducting of the American Symphony Orchestra was relentlessly loud and unsubtle, missing opportunities for shaping and transparency in what is ultimately a love story.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

The unexplained, silent changing of casualty statistics - for both the wounded and the dead - was criticised as undermining transparency.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Time is money, and salary transparency also helps candidates avoid spending time interviewing for jobs that ultimately don’t meet their pay expectations.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

Yet those charged with mounting the American offense in space saw strength in countering the Russian value of secrecy with its opposites— transparency, democracy, equality—and not a simulacrum.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

That set is represented here by color-on-black sketches, transparencies and cue sheets for the projections.

From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2024

The complete press release kit includes internal EMI Records memorandum to PR staff, press releases for the album and single, mock up sleeve artwork and a number of previously unseen photos and transparencies.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2023

There are also more than 70,000 pictures, prints, slides, negatives, large format transparencies and contact sheets taken by famed photographers including Terry O’Neill and Helmut Newton.

From Reuters ● Feb. 23, 2023

Louisa Neill hangs shadow-casting photographic transparencies, mostly of architectural details, inside two sets of small, white boxes.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 13, 2023

But I began then to think of time as having a shape, something you could see, like a series of liquid transparencies, one laid on top of another.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• clarity