opacity
noun
opac·i·ty
ō-ˈpa-sə-tē 
plural opacities
1
a
: obscurity of sense : unintelligibility
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 (such as the lens of the eye)
Examples of opacity in a Sentence
the opacity of the glass
Critics have noted the opacity of her writing style.
Recent Examples on the Web
First, reserves can be verified in real time, removing the opacity that has plagued both traditional banking and earlier crypto experiments.
—
Luke Xie, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
That’s China’s capital markets – which, despite having their own quarterly disclosure rules, often suffer from lack of enforcement and financial opacity.
—Richard Torrenzano, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
The curtain is made with a lightweight cotton material for an airy feel, but the opacity still gives you plenty of privacy and coverage.
—Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2025
Over the 1990s, Washington seized on that opacity to transform the base into a theater of extraterritorial mass incarceration to hold tens of thousands of Haitian and Cuban asylum-seekers fleeing political violence and economic collapse in their home countries.
—Miriam Pensack, The Dial, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for opacity
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Luke Xie, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
That’s China’s capital markets – which, despite having their own quarterly disclosure rules, often suffer from lack of enforcement and financial opacity.
—Richard Torrenzano, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
The curtain is made with a lightweight cotton material for an airy feel, but the opacity still gives you plenty of privacy and coverage.
—Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2025
Over the 1990s, Washington seized on that opacity to transform the base into a theater of extraterritorial mass incarceration to hold tens of thousands of Haitian and Cuban asylum-seekers fleeing political violence and economic collapse in their home countries.
—Miriam Pensack, The Dial, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for opacity
Cite this Entry
“Opacity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opacity. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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Medical Definition
opacity
noun
opac·i·ty
ō-ˈpas-ət-ē
plural opacities
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)
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