opacity

opac·i·ty

noun \ō-ˈpa-sə-tē\

: the quality of a material that does not allow light to pass through it : the quality of being opaque

: the quality of being difficult to understand or explain

plural opac·i·ties

Full Definition of OPACITY

1

a :  obscurity of sense :  unintelligibleness

b :  the quality or state of being mentally obtuse :  dullness

2

:  the quality or state of a body that makes it impervious to the rays of light; broadly :  the relative capacity of matter to obstruct the transmission of radiant energy

3

:  an opaque spot in a normally transparent structure (as the lens of the eye)

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Examples of OPACITY

1. the opacity of the glass
2. Critics have noted the opacity of her writing style.

Origin of OPACITY

Middle French opacité shadiness, from Latin opacitat-, opacitas, from opacus shaded, dark

First Known Use: 1560

Related to OPACITY

Synonyms

ambiguity, ambiguousness, darkness, equivocalness, equivocation, inscrutability, inscrutableness, murkiness, mysteriousness, nebulosity, nebulousness, obliqueness, obliquity, obscurity, opaqueness

Antonyms

clarity, clearness, obviousness, plainness

Related Words

mystery, reconditeness; cloudiness, dimness, faintness, fogginess, fuzziness, haziness, indefiniteness, indistinctness, mistiness, shade, shadow, uncertainty, vagueness; impenetrability, incomprehensibility, incomprehensibleness; circuitousness, circuity, indirectness; deepness, depth, profoundness; abstruseness, abstrusity, complexity, complication, difficulty, obtuseness

Near Antonyms

comprehensibility, intelligibility, legibility; brightness, distinctness, self-evidence; certainty, surety; definiteness, exactness, explicitness, incision, incisiveness, lucidity, lucidness, perspicuity, perspicuousness; directness, forthrightness, openness, straightforwardness; palpability, tangibility, tangibleness, visibility; readability, readableness; obviousness

Rhymes with OPACITY

audacity, capacity, edacity, fugacity, loquacity, mendacity, predacity, pugnacity, rapacity, sagacity, sequacity, tenacity, veracity, vivacity, voracity

opac·i·ty

noun \ō-ˈpas-ət-ē\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural opac·i·ties

Medical Definition of OPACITY

1

: the quality or state of a body that makes it impervious to the rays of light; broadly : the relative capacity of matter to obstruct by absorption or reflection the transmission of radiant energy (as X-rays, infrared radiation, or sound)

2

: an opaque spot in a normally transparent structure (as the lens of the eye)