2 meanings
(click/touch triangles for details)
1 —as in:
opaque shower door
Definition
not able to see through at all- They are engineering a window that can convert from transparent to opaque with the push of a button.
opaque = not able to see through at all
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- Regulator are concerned that the true risks faced by large financial institutions are opaque due to the complexity of modern financial instruments.
- I couldn't see anything through the opaque windows of the jail.
- About ten miles past the end of the improved road the Stampede Trail crosses the Teklanika River, a fast, icy stream whose waters are opaque with glacial till.Jon Krakauer -- Into the Wild
- ...approached the door, and drawing close she was struck by its darkness, its opacity, the way that it did not reveal what was on the other side, and also did not reflect what was on this side, and so felt equally like a beginning and an end,Moshin Hamid -- Exit West
- The squat windows of his basement apartment were always grimy, opaque with steel-factory soot and ash, but in the spring there were lilacs blooming, sprays of white and lavender pressing against the glass, their scent drifting in like light.Kim Edwards -- The Memory Keeper's Daughter
- It grew clouded and opaque even as they stared.H.G. Wells -- The Invisible Man
- Almost instantly a white cloud of starch rises up and turns the water opaque.An Na -- A Step from Heaven
- Through the almost opaque blinds, I could see the sky was dark.Alex Flinn -- Beastly
- He woke before dawn and watched the gray day break. Slow and half opaque.Cormac McCarthy -- The Road
opaque = impossible to see through
opacity = having the characteristic of being completely impossible to see through
opaque = not able to see through at all
opaque = completely incapable of being seen through
opaque = cloudy so it is no longer clear
opaque = not able to see through at all
opaque = unable to be seen through at all
2 —as in:
opaque explanation
Definition
difficult or impossible to understand — especially due to complexity or obscurity- She answered in a polite tone, but her answer was opaque.
opaque = difficult or impossible to understand — especially due to complexity or obscurity
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- China's opaque politics
- guessed at the meaning of her opaque lyrics
- I was used to unhappiness, formless and opaque, stretching out to every horizon.Madeline Miller -- Circe
- The opaque, mad look came into his eyes again.William Golding -- Lord of the Flies
- Nadia frequently explored the terrain of social media, though she left little trace of her passing, not posting much herself, and employing opaque usernames and avatars, the online equivalents of her black robes.Moshin Hamid -- Exit West
- The great expanses of wall space were opaque with canvas, portraits in oil of deceased headmasters, a founder or two, forgotten leaders of the faculty, a beloved athletic coach none of us had ever heard of, a lady we could not identify—her fortune had largely rebuilt the school; a nameless poet who was thought when under the school's protection to be destined primarily for future generations; a young hero now anonymous who looked theatrical in the First World War uniform in which he...John Knowles -- A Separate Peace
- A few minutes later, Max Vandenburg was in the room, noiseless and opaque.Markus Zusak -- The Book Thief
- They were silent on the mountain-top while the opaque look appeared in Jack's eyes and passed away.William Golding -- Lord of the Flies
opaque = hard to understand
opaque = impossible to understand
opaque = difficult to understand
opaque = difficult to understand
opaque = impossible to read (not showing what he was thinking)
opaque = impossible to understand