transparent
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /tɹæn(t)sˈpæɹənt/
ipa: /tɹænzˈpæɹənt/
note: without the Mary–marry–merry merger
ipa: /tɹæn(t)sˈpæɹənt/
note: without the Mary–marry–merry merger
ipa: /tɹænz-/
note: Mary–marry–merry merger
ipa: /tɹæn(t)sˈpɛɹənt/
note: Mary–marry–merry merger
ipa: /tɹænz-/
note: Indic
ipa: /ˈʈransp(ə)rəɳʈ/
note: Indic
ipa: /ˈʈrans ˈparəɳʈ/
Forms: form: more transparent
form: most transparent
Etymology: Borrowed from Medieval Latin trānspārēns, trānspārēntis (“transparent”), present participle of transpareō, from Latin trans + pareō. Displaced native Old English þurhsīene.
Senses: examples: text: "You make the glass invisible by putting it into a liquid of nearly the same refractive index; a transparent thing becomes invisible if it is put in any medium of almost the same refractive index."
ref: 1897, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, chapter 19, in The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC:
text: The waters of the lake were transparent until the factory dumped waste there.
glosses: See-through, clear; having the property that light passes through it almost undisturbed, such that one can see through it clearly.
raw_tags: of a material or object
topics: arts
graphic-design
glosses: See-through, clear; having the property that light passes through it almost undisturbed, such that one can see through it clearly.
Of a graphical image or animated GIF, having parts that allow the background to show through.
raw_tags: of a material or object
glosses: Open, public; having the property that theories and practices are publicly visible, thereby reducing the chance of corruption.
raw_tags: of a system or organization
examples: text: His reasons for the decision were transparent.
text: I love playing poker with Steve, because he's so transparent.
text: Ukraine's campaign in Kursk Oblast demonstrates that surprise is still possible on the partially transparent battlefield of Ukraine — where an adversary can observe force concentrations but not reliably discern an enemy's operational intent and capabilities.
ref: 2025 February 6, Angelica Evans, “Ukraine’s Kursk Incursion: Six Month Assessment”, in Ukraine Project, Institute for the Study of War:
glosses: Obvious; readily apparent; easy to see or understand.
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
signal-processing
glosses: Having the property of transparency, i.e. sufficiently accurate that the compressed result is perceptually indistinguishable from the uncompressed input.
examples: text: In order to make that transparent to the user, browsers usually cache the usernames and passwords and retransmit them automatically each time they contact the server.
ref: 2003, Rolf Oppliger, Security Technologies for the World Wide Web, page 34:
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: Not noticeable because it happens automatically or in the background; invisible.
Synonyms: sense: see-through, clear
word: see-through
sense: see-through, clear
word: diaphanous
sense: see-through, clear
word: clear
sense: see-through, clear
word: crystalline
sense: see-through, clear
word: limpid
sense: see-through, clear
word: sheer
sense: obvious
word: apparent
sense: obvious
word: clear
sense: obvious
word: obvious
word: clear as crystal
word: glassy
word: hyaline
word: hyaloid
word: lucid
word: pellucid
word: perspicuous
word: serene
word: transparent
word: transpicuous
word: vitreous
Hyponyms: word: colourless
word: water white
word: waterlike
Coordinate terms: translucent
Derived terms: referentially transparent
semitransparent
transparently
transparent pie
Related terms: transparency
transparently
transparentness