opacity
5 synonyms and 3 antonyms for opacity, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The degree to which something blocks light or cannot be seen through; the quality of being opaque.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
The degree to which something blocks light or cannot be seen through; the quality of being opaque.
“Increase the opacity of the layer until the watermark disappears.”
Opposites
2. noun
The quality of being obscure, hard to understand or deliberately unclear.
“The opacity of the funding arrangements is what worries auditors most.”
Opposites
How to Use Opacity
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Neutral; equally at home in physics, design software and political criticism.
Etymology
From Latin opacitas 'shadiness', from opacus 'shaded, dark', by way of French opacité.
Full origin of opacity →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between opacity and transparency?
They are opposite ends of the same scale: opacity measures how much light is blocked, transparency how much passes through. In design software raising opacity to 100% makes an element fully solid, which is the same as zero transparency.
What does opacity 0.5 mean in CSS?
It renders the element at half strength, so whatever sits behind it shows through. CSS opacity runs from 0 (completely invisible but still occupying its space) to 1 (completely solid), and it applies to the element's children as well, which is why a semi-transparent background colour is often the better choice.
What is opacity on a chest X-ray?
In radiology an opacity is an area that appears whiter than the surrounding tissue because it is blocking more X-rays, which can indicate fluid, inflammation or a mass. The term describes the appearance on the image, not a diagnosis.