What does opaque mean?
Opaque is an adjective describing something that cannot be seen through or readily understood. Its literal use refers chiefly to materials that do not transmit light, such as opaque glass, paint, or plastic. Figuratively, an opaque explanation, account, or style of writing is difficult to follow because its meaning, reasoning, or evidence is hidden. The construction “opaque to someone” is also common: a policy may be opaque to the public while being clear to the officials who created it. Opaque therefore conveys more than mere difficulty. It often suggests that something is deliberately or inherently inaccessible, as though its inner meaning cannot be perceived. The word is especially useful when discussing technical material, complicated institutions, inaccessible procedures, or writing that resists straightforward interpretation.
adjectiveNot transparent, especially because light cannot pass through the material. Figuratively, difficult to understand, interpret, or penetrate.
- Not transparent; not allowing light to pass through.
- Figuratively obscure, complicated, or difficult to understand.
- With “to”: inaccessible or not readily understood by a particular person or group.
"The report's opaque terminology made its findings difficult for the general public to understand."
"The window is opaque, so no light from the street is visible inside."
"Her explanation of the new policy remained opaque to everyone except the lawyers who drafted it."
From the Latin opacus, meaning “dark” or “dense,” opaque made the leap from light-blocking materials to equally impenetrable prose.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does opaque come from?
Opaque entered English in the early 17th century from French opaque, a borrowing of Latin opacus, meaning “dark,” “dense,” or “obscure.” The word initially described substances through which light or sight could not pass. Its figurative sense developed by extending that physical idea to language, evidence, and systems that resist understanding. Related forms include the noun opacity and the verb opacify, meaning “to make opaque.”
Related word forms
How opaque is actually used
Opaque is formal and sometimes literary in figurative use. In technical contexts it commonly describes substances that transmit little or no light; in arguments and discussion it describes information, language, or reasoning that cannot be readily understood.