opacity

Language: en

🇺🇸 /oʊˈpæsətiː/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    The quality or state of being opaque; the degree to which a material blocks the transmission of light.; The quality of being difficult to understand; obscurity or lack of clarity in meaning, expression, or thought.; In computer graphics and image editing, a measure of how much a layer or object obscures what is behind it, typically expressed as a percentage from 0% (fully transparent) to 100% (fully opaque).; In medicine, an area of reduced transparency in a normally transparent structure of the body, such as the lens of the eye or the cornea.; In radiology, an area on an X-ray or other imaging that appears whiter than surrounding tissue, indicating greater density or absorption of radiation.; The quality of being impenetrable to investigation or scrutiny; lack of transparency in processes, decisions, or organizations.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable / uncountable Plural: opacities

Collocations

high opacitylow opacityopacity levelopacity settingopacity of the lens

Derivatives

opaqueopaquelyopaquenessopacifyopacification

Synonyms

opaquenesscloudinessmurkinessturbidityobscurity

Antonyms

transparencyclaritytranslucency

Commonly confused

obscurity
EN: 'Opacity' refers to the physical property of blocking light; 'obscurity' refers to being unknown, unclear in meaning, or difficult to understand.
translucency
EN: 'Opacity' means no light passes through; 'translucency' means some light passes through but images are not clearly visible.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember the 'c' before '-ity': it is 'opacity', not 'opasity'. The root is 'opaque' but the noun form changes the ending to '-acity'.

💬 Examples

  1. The opacity of the frosted glass allowed light in but prevented anyone from seeing through it.

  2. The opacity of the philosopher's writing made it nearly impossible for undergraduate students to follow his arguments.

  3. She reduced the opacity of the watermark layer to 30% so it wouldn't distract from the main image.

  4. The ophthalmologist detected an opacity in the patient's lens, indicating the early stages of a cataract.

  5. The chest X-ray revealed a ground-glass opacity in the lower lobe of the right lung.

  6. Critics condemned the opacity of the government's decision-making process, demanding greater public accountability.