OPACITY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does opacity mean? 

• OPACITY (noun)
  The noun OPACITY has 3 senses:

1. the phenomenon of not permitting the passage of electromagnetic radiation

2. incomprehensibility resulting from obscurity of meaning

3. the quality of being opaque to a degree; the degree to which something reduces the passage of light

  Familiarity information: OPACITY used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OPACITY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The phenomenon of not permitting the passage of electromagnetic radiation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Hypernyms ("opacity" is a kind of...):

physical phenomenon (a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "opacity"):

optical opacity (opacity to light)

radio-opacity; radiopacity (opacity to X-rays or other radiation)

Antonym:

transparency (permitting the free passage of electromagnetic radiation)

Derivation:

opaque (not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy; impenetrable to sight)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Incomprehensibility resulting from obscurity of meaning

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

opacity; opaqueness

Hypernyms ("opacity" is a kind of...):

incomprehensibility (the quality of being incomprehensible)

Derivation:

opaque (hard or impossible to understand)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The quality of being opaque to a degree; the degree to which something reduces the passage of light

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

opacity; opaqueness

Hypernyms ("opacity" is a kind of...):

quality (an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone)

Attribute:

opaque (not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy; impenetrable to sight)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "opacity"):

cloudiness; muddiness; murkiness (the quality of being cloudy)

blurriness; fogginess; fuzziness; indistinctness; softness (the quality of being indistinct and without sharp outlines)

Antonym:

clarity (the quality of clear water)

Derivation:

opaque (not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy; impenetrable to sight)

 Context examples 

The light from the tiny lamps fell in all sorts of odd forms, as the rays crossed each other, or the opacity of our bodies threw great shadows.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

It is manifested with corneal opacity, hemolytic anemia, and proteinuria.

(Lecithin Acyltransferase Deficiency, NCI Thesaurus)

Endothelial decompensation that is manifested by opacity of the cornea.

(Corneal Decompensation, NCI Thesaurus)

Although clouds might explain the opacity, they become less and less sustainable as the pressure decreases, and the opacity has been observed where the atmospheric pressure is very low.

(Cooking up Alien Atmospheres on Earth, NASA)

The degree of opacity produced by iothalamate sodium is directly proportional to the total amount of the iodinated contrast agent in the path of the x-rays.

(Iothalamate Sodium, NCI Thesaurus)

The degree of opacity produced by ioxaglate meglumine is directly proportional to the total amount of the iodinated contrast agent in the path of the x-rays.

(Ioxaglate Meglumine, NCI Thesaurus)

The degree of opacity produced by ioxaglate sodium is directly proportional to the total amount of the iodinated contrast agent in the path of the x-rays.

(Ioxaglate Sodium, NCI Thesaurus)

The degree of opacity produced by iothalamate meglumine is directly proportional to the total amount of the iodinated contrast agent in the path of the x-rays.

(Iothalamate Meglumine, NCI Thesaurus)

The degree of opacity produced by iopamidol is directly proportional to the total amount of the iodinated contrast agent in the path of the x-rays.

(Iopamidol, NCI Thesaurus)

A disorder characterized by partial or complete opacity of the crystalline lens of one or both eyes.

(Cataract, NCI Thesaurus/CTCAE)