1
Core quality
Not allowing light through; figuratively, difficult or impossible to understand.
Example
The opaque coating prevented light from reaching the sensor.
opaque
/əʊˈpeɪk/ · oh-PAYKadjective
Not allowing light through; figuratively, difficult or impossible to understand.
Use opaque to express this relationship precisely: not allowing light through; figuratively, difficult or impossible to understand.
What opaque Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
The committee's reasoning remained opaque to outside observers.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
Technical jargon made the explanation unnecessarily opaque.
Use opaque Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The opaque coating prevented light from reaching the sensor.
The committee's reasoning remained opaque to outside observers.
Technical jargon made the explanation unnecessarily opaque.
Precision Matters
Opaque overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
opaque
vs.Means not allowing light through; figuratively, difficult or impossible to understand.
ambiguous
Means open to more than one reasonable interpretation.
opaque
vs.Means not allowing light through; figuratively, difficult or impossible to understand.
nebulous
Means vague, unclear, or insufficiently defined.
opaque
vs.Means not allowing light through; figuratively, difficult or impossible to understand.
indecipherable
Means impossible to read or understand.
opaque
vs.Means not allowing light through; figuratively, difficult or impossible to understand.
lucid
Means clear, coherent, and easy to understand.
Test opaque in Context
The reasoning is difficult to understand rather than merely brief.
1
Although the report lists its conclusions, its account of how the evidence was weighted is frustratingly ___.