You searched for: “opaque
opaque (adjective), opaquer, opaquest
1. A reference to not being clear; not transmitting radiant energy, sound, heat, etc.: Opaque elements are characterized by being opposite to that of transparency; for example, steel is an opaque material that blocks visible light.

Certain chemical solutions are opaque to ultraviolet radiations.

There was a dust cloud of opaque pollution over Karen's city that was caused by the dust storm.

2. Relating to something that is not clearly understood or expressed; not clear or lucid; obscure: Medical dictionaries too often provide the most opaque definitions of any of the other lexicons.

Despite the professor's help, the scientific presentation still seems opaque for some of his students.

3. Characteristic of impervious to light; not translucent or only slightly so: The winter opaque glass blocked any possibility of looking outside Adam's windows.
4. Descriptive of not allowing light to pass through: The opaque water of the muddy river made it impossible to see anything below the surface of the water.
5. Referring to not shining, without luster, not reflecting light; or being dark or dull: The opaque paint on Kate's car would not reflect the glare from the sun even on very sunny days.
6. Pertaining to dull, stupid, or unintelligent conversations: Some of the most opaque remarks are presented by certain radio talk-show hosts.

It's amazing how some politicians can pass such opaque bills that waste so much federal money.

7. Etymology: from opake which came from Latin opacus, "dark, shaded, shady" of uncertain origin. The current English spelling of opaque was influenced from about 1650 by French opaque which came from Latin.
This entry is located in the following unit: opaqu- (page 1)
opaque, translucent, transparent
opaque (oh PAYK) (adjective)
1. Difficult to understand: Manfred's oral instructions were opaque and Dennis had to ask for an explanation.
2. Regarding something which does not allow light to pass through: The windows were painted black so they would be opaque, thus permitting the photographer to work in his photo-processing laboratory without unwanted illumination.
translucent (trans LOO suhnt, tranz LOO suhnt) (adjective)
Pertaining to something which is not completely clear or transparent, but clear enough to allow light to pass through: The frosted glass in the door was translucent.
transparent (trans PAIR uhnt, trans PAHR uhnt) (adjective)
1. Concerning light being able to pass through: The new window in the sunroom was transparent and let in all the sunshine.
2. Characteristic of something self-evident; obvious; apparent: Trina's facial expression was so transparent that Susan always knew what she was thinking.

The information from the lecture was completely opaque to Ryan and so he couldn't understand a thing.

After Howard read the text book, his mind felt more translucent, as if some light on the subject was getting through and the information was beginning to make sense, but not completely.

Then, after Marla asked for an explanation, the answer suddenly became transparent.

Word Entries containing the term: “opaque
electron opaque tracer, electron-opaque tracer (s) (noun), electron opaque tracers, electron-opaque tracers (pl)
A metallic salt often found in association with binding proteins; such as, antibodies: An electron-opaque tracer is used to detect the presence of specific molecules or structures in an electron microscopic examination of a sample.
This entry is located in the following units: electro-, electr-, electri- (page 51) opaqu- (page 1)
opaque projector (s) (noun), opaque projectors (pl)
A medium that does not pass radiation of a particular frequency band: Opaque projectors are used to view images of nontransparent materials; such as, printed sheets, pages of books, drawings, mineral specimens, leaves, etc. onto a screen by means of reflected light for lectures and presentations.