Meanings
plural opacities
- uncountableThe state or quality of being opaque, not allowing light to pass through.
We could not see the sandbar due to the opacity of the muddy water.
Synonyms: opaqueness, nontransparency · Antonyms: clarity, clearness, translucency, transparency
- uncountableThe state or quality of being inaccessible to understanding.
The opacity of these decisions is troubling.
- countableengineeringA measure of relative impenetrability to electromagnetic radiation such as light.
The opacity of a clean glass window is near zero.
- countableAn opaque area.
Scanty irregular opacities are not uncommonly observed on the chest roentgenogram in the absence of interstitial fibrosis of the lungs.
1992, Dick, J. A. et al., “The significance of irregular opacities on the chest roentgenogram”, in Chest, volume 102, number 1, →DOI, →PMID, pages 251-601 more example
This report concerns a child with Down's syndrome (mongolism) and bilateral congenital corneal opacities born into a family affected through three generations by Rieger's anomaly.
1968, Dark A. J., Kirkham T. H., “Congenital corneal opacities in a patient with Rieger's anomaly and Down's syndrome”, in British Journal of Ophthalmology, volume 52, number 8, →DOI, page 631
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe state or quality of being opaque, not allowing light to pass through.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe phenomenon of not permitting the passage of electromagnetic radiation
nounincomprehensibility resulting from obscurity of meaning
nounthe quality of being opaque to a degree; the degree to which something reduces the passage of light
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian непрозрачност, неясност
- непрозрачност (neprozračnost)state of being opaque; blocking light
- неясност (nejasnost)state of being inaccessible to understanding
Catalan opacitat
- opacitatstate of being opaque; blocking light
Czech neprůhlednost
- neprůhlednoststate of being opaque; blocking light
Danish uigennemsigtighed, ugennemsigtighed
- uigennemsigtighedstate of being opaque; blocking light
- ugennemsigtighedstate of being opaque; blocking light
Finnish läpikuultamattomuus, läpinäkymättömyys
- läpikuultamattomuusstate of being opaque; blocking light
- läpinäkymättömyysstate of being opaque; blocking light
- läpikuultamattomuusmeasure of relative opaqueness
- läpinäkymättömyysmeasure of relative opaqueness
French opacité, opacité
- opacitéstate of being opaque; blocking light
- opacitéstate of being inaccessible to understanding
German Opazität, Undurchsichtigkeit
- Opazitätstate of being opaque; blocking light
- Undurchsichtigkeitstate of being opaque; blocking light
- Lichtundurchlässigkeitstate of being opaque; blocking light
- Undurchsichtigkeitstate of being inaccessible to understanding
- Nebulösitätstate of being inaccessible to understanding
Greek αδιαφάνεια
- αδιαφάνεια (adiafáneia)state of being opaque; blocking light
Hindi अपारदर्शिता
- अपारदर्शिता (apārdarśitā)state of being opaque; blocking light
Indonesian ketidakbeningan, ketidakbeningan
- ketidakbeninganstate of being opaque; blocking light
- ketidakbeninganmeasure of relative opaqueness
Latvian necaurredzamība, necaurspīdīgums
- necaurredzamībastate of being opaque; blocking light
- necaurspīdīgumsstate of being opaque; blocking light
Norwegian Bokmål opasitet, ugjennomsiktighet
- opasitetstate of being opaque; blocking light
- ugjennomsiktighetstate of being opaque; blocking light
Portuguese opacidade
- opacidadestate of being opaque; blocking light
Russian непрозра́чность
- непрозра́чность (neprozráčnostʹ)state of being opaque; blocking light
Spanish opacidad
- opacidadstate of being opaque; blocking light
Swedish opacitet
- opacitetstate of being opaque; blocking light
Tagalog opasidad, opasidad
- opasidadstate of being opaque; blocking light
- opasidadmeasure of relative opaqueness
- opasidadstate of being inaccessible to understanding
Ukrainian непрозо́рість, помутні́ння
- непрозо́рість (neprozóristʹ)state of being opaque; blocking light
- помутні́ння (pomutnínnja)opaque area
Cite this entry
opacity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opacity
“opacity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opacity. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “opacity,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opacity.
Source: opacity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.