opacity

[ oh-pas-i-tee ]

noun

, plural o·pac·i·ties.

1. the state or quality of being opaque.
2. something opaque.
3. the degree to which a substance is opaque; capacity for being opaque.
4. Photography. the proportion of the light that is absorbed by the emulsion on any given area of a film or plate.
5. obscurity of meaning.
6. mental dullness.
7. Medicine/Medical. an opaque spot or area in normally clear or transparent tissue, as a cataract of the eye.

opacity

/ əʊˈpæsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being opaque
2. the degree to which something is opaque
3. an opaque object or substance
4. obscurity of meaning; unintelligibility
5. physics photog the ratio of the intensity of light incident on a medium, such as a photographic film, to that transmitted through the medium
6. logic philosophy the property of being an opaque context

Other Words From

• nono·paci·ty noun plural nonopacities

Word History and Origins

Origin of opacity¹

First recorded in 1550–60, opacity is from the Latin word opācitās shade. See opaque, -ity

Example Sentences

"This precise behaviour is obviously subject to our parametrization of these clouds as a vertically uniform grey opacity source," the authors write.

From Salon

In response to Kaczynski’s sleuthing, the Harris campaign offered this response, a masterwork of opacity: “The Vice President’s positions have been shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris Administration.”

From Los Angeles Times

The voids in our knowledge owe both to the Saudi government’s opacity and denials, many of them debunked, as well as to our government’s lid on information gleaned through federal investigations, a congressional inquiry and blue-ribbon commission.

From Los Angeles Times

Born into an elite family with a history of financial opacity, Sheinbaum falsely denied their involvement in the Panama Papers scandal, betraying her inclination for posverdad, or post-truth.

From Los Angeles Times

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. is doing his part to maintain the court’s opacity.

From Los Angeles Times