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transparent

/trænsˈpɛrənt//trænsˈpærənt/·adjective
letting light and image pass through; hiding nothing
Fig. 1 — A pane of glass stands in its frame in the middle of the garden, and a butterfly runs the test: it crosses the whole scene, passes directly behind the pane, and never once disappears — through the glass its wings stay wings, and only two faint streaks of glare admit the pane exists at all.
01Definition

Transparent describes what can be seen through — literally, glass and clear water, where light and image both pass unchanged; figuratively, people and institutions that hide nothing. From Latin trans- ('through') and parere ('to appear'): what is behind appears through it. The figurative sense runs in two directions, and the collocate decides which: a transparent process or leader is admirably open, lucid about motives and methods, while a transparent lie or excuse is one everybody sees through — openness as a compliment, see-through-ness as a verdict.

02In use
  • iThe jellyfish is so transparent that its last meal is a matter of public record.
  • iiVoters trust budgets that are transparent enough to follow line by line.
  • iiiHis flattery was transparent; even the intern could see what he was angling for.
03Collocations
  • transparent glass
  • a transparent process
  • transparent pricing
  • make the process transparent
  • a transparent attempt

Family transparency (noun) · transparently (adverb)

04Relations

=clear, lucid, see-through, candid, open

≠opaque, ambiguous

06TOEFL & IELTS

Task 2 governance prompts are this word's home fixture: 'governments should make spending fully transparent' and 'transparent pricing' carry the accountability register examiners reward, with transparency as the abstract noun ('demand transparency from officials'). Watch the two-faced figurative use — a transparent process is good, a transparent excuse is bad; the noun it attaches to decides. Both varieties stress the second syllable: tran-SPARE-ent (US /-sper-/, UK /-spær-/).

07Asked
What does it mean when a person is transparent?
Usually praise: they hide nothing — motives, feelings, and dealings all visible, nothing managed behind the glass. 'She's completely transparent with her team' commends honesty. But watch the mirror sense: a person's transparent ambition or transparent flattery means everyone sees through the performance — the same optics, aimed as criticism. The noun the adjective lands on tells you which way it cuts.
What is the difference between transparent and translucent?
Both let light through; only transparent lets the image through too. Clear glass and still water are transparent — you can read a page behind them. Frosted glass, tracing paper, and wax paper are translucent — light passes, but shapes blur into glow. The quick test is exactly the butterfly's in the scene above: if you can still tell it is a butterfly, the material is transparent.
What is the opposite of transparent?
Literally, opaque — no light, no image. Between them sits translucent, the middle term: light without image, frost rather than clear glass. Figuratively the opposition holds too: transparent prose against opaque prose, open dealings against unreadable ones.
What does transparency mean in government or business?
Operating so that outsiders can see how decisions are made and money moves: published budgets, open records, auditable accounts. 'Demand transparency' and 'a lack of transparency' are the standing phrases, and the watchdog Transparency International built its name on the idea. The metaphor is strict: processes behind clear glass, inspectable by anyone who cares to look.
What does transparent literally mean?
Allowing both light and image to pass — from Latin trans-, 'through', and parere, 'to appear': what is behind appears through it. That etymology is the whole physics lesson: a transparent medium hands the scene behind it to your eye unedited, the way the pane in the scene above hands over the flowers, the crossing butterfly, and the sunbeam that lands on the far grass intact.
Is being called transparent good or bad?
It depends what is being seen through. Attached to people-as-agents and institutions — a transparent leader, process, election — it is a virtue: openness on purpose. Attached to a performance or a cover — a transparent lie, excuse, ploy, attempt — it is a verdict: the disguise failed. English keeps both because the optics are identical; only the intent differs, and the collocate reports the intent.