2 meanings
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1 —as in:
opaque shower door
Definition
not able to see through- They are engineering a window that can convert from transparent to opaque with the push of a button.
opaque = unable to be seen through
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- The bathroom has natural light that comes through an opaque window.
- When Scrooge awoke, it was so dark, that looking out of bed, he could scarcely distinguish the transparent window from the opaque walls of his chamber.Charles Dickens -- A Christmas Carol
- 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
- They have told us that our atmosphere is what they call opaque, so that the stars are not visible, and then they were surprised that we know stars, that we know their music and the movements of their dance far better than beings like you who spend hours studying them through what you call telescopes.Madeleine L'Engle -- A Wrinkle in Time
- The wiser effort would have been to diffuse thought and imagination through the opaque substance of to-day, and thus to make it a bright transparency; to spiritualise the burden that began to weigh so heavily; to seek, resolutely, the true and indestructible value that lay hidden in the petty and wearisome incidents, and ordinary characters with which I was now conversant.Nathaniel Hawthorne -- The Scarlet Letter
- 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
opaque = unable to be seen through
opaque = impossible to see through
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 = impossible to see through
opaque = impossible to see through
opaque = completely incapable of being seen through
opaque = cloudy so it is no longer clear
2 —as in:
opaque explanation
Definition
difficult or impossible to understand — especially due to complexity or obscurity- We made a game of guessing at the meaning of her opaque lyrics.
opaque = difficult or impossible to understand
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- She answered in a polite tone, but her answer was opaque.
- Regulator are concerned that the true risks faced by large financial institutions are opaque due to the complexity of modern financial instruments.
- 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
- Before, dark and opaque bodies had surrounded me, impervious to my touch or sight; but I now found that I could wander on at liberty, with no obstacles which I could not either surmount or avoid.Mary Shelley -- Frankenstein
- 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 = not understandable
opaque = not understandable
opaque = hard to understand
opaque = impossible 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
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