Opaque
/oʊˈpeɪk/
adjectiveB2
Definition
Opaque describes a material or object that does not let light pass through, so you cannot see what is behind it. It can also be used to talk about ideas, language, or explanations that are difficult to understand or not clear.
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See It in Action
Not letting light pass through; not transparent
- •The bathroom window is opaque for privacy.
- •The opaque glass made it impossible to see inside the room.
- •Paint can be opaque, covering the surface completely.
Difficult to understand or unclear (used for speech, writing, or ideas)
- •His explanation was opaque and left everyone confused.
- •The legal document was written in opaque language.
- •Some poems are intentionally opaque to make readers think more.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "opaque" like "dark," but instead of just color, it means you cannot see through it at all.
- ✓Picture a frosted glass window that blocks your view outside, making everything blurry or invisible.
- ✓It's the feeling when someone explains something but you still don't understand because it is confusing or unclear.
- ✓Sounds like "oh-PAKE" → imagine a big "cake" blocking your view, so you can't see what's behind it.
- ✓In stories, an opaque window can hide secrets inside a room, making you curious.
- ✓NOT like "transparent" (you can see through it clearly), opaque stops all light and vision.
- ✓NOT like "translucent" (some light passes, but blurry), opaque lets no light through at all.
- ✓In ideas, NOT like "clear" (easy to understand), opaque means confusing or hard to follow.
Try Other Words
- •Cloudy: not clear or transparent (Use when describing something that is partly see-through or hard to understand but not completely blocked)
- •Murky: dark and difficult to see through (Use for water or situations that feel dirty or confusing)
- •Obscure: not well known or hard to understand (Use for ideas, facts, or words that are difficult to find or understand)
- •Nontransparent: not allowing light to pass through (Use for technical or scientific contexts)
Unboxing
- •Prefix/root/suffix: from Latin "opacus" meaning shaded or dark
- •Etymology: Latin origin, related to blocking light or shadowing
- •Historical development: Used since the 1600s to describe materials that block light; later extended to ideas and language
- •Modern usage: Commonly used in science, art, and everyday language for materials and also for unclear explanations or meanings
Reflect & Connect
•How does the physical property of being opaque help us understand when something is hard to understand in language or ideas?
•Can something be physically transparent but still opaque in meaning? How does that happen?
Fill in the blanks
1.The bathroom window is opaque to provide ___ and block ___ from outside.
2.When a speaker uses opaque language, it makes it ___ for the audience to ___ the main point.
3.Unlike transparent glass, opaque materials ___ light completely and ___ visibility.
4.Sometimes writers use opaque words to make their meaning ___ or ___.
5.The glass was not clear but ___, so we could only see shapes, not details.
6.The meaning of the message was opaque because it was full of ___ and ___.
7.To protect privacy, the office used opaque curtains that ___ any view from outside.