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invisibility

invisibility

11 9.5
A property that makes an object not seen by certain kinds of light
  • noun
  • /ɪnˌvɪzəˈbɪləti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : invisibilidad
  • For more than a decade, my colleagues and I have been studying a form of invisibility known as inattentional blindness.
  • invisibility cloak
  • spell of invisibility
  • invisibility shield

And as of this video's publishing, you can now pre-order your very own invisibility shield.

Examples

  • So that's when they're doing a radar cross-section test, this is what they're looking for in a stealth airplane, something approaching invisibility.

  • The window in his office is one-way glass, allowing Lamar to observe his sixteen men while cloaked in smoky invisibility.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Will we achieve full invisibility with this?

  • This is an actual invisibility shield.

  • Sue, we need 30 seconds of invisibility.

  • The invisibility of radiation is one of the biggest factors feeding this anxious fear.

    Blog text (20)
  • So you're the author of the newly released book Invisibility, the History and Science of How Not to be Seen.

  • A cloak generated by the Grid afforded them invisibility over an area of four square yards.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The shock of Kry-stin's scream had destroyed the concentration Lucius needed to maintain his spell of invisibility.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Researchers are exploring the concept of invisibility to create advanced cloaking devices for military applications.

Synonyms

invisibleness
vsinvisibility
1 8.6

The state of not being able to be seen

is about avoiding detection by specific electromagnetic waves
imperceptibility
vsinvisibility
1 9.5

A state of being very hard to notice

is about technical undetectability to particular electromagnetic ranges rather than general unnoticed

Antonyms

How easy it is to notice or find something

How Detectable

invisibility
  • Specialized
11 9.5

Surface Forms

invisibility singular

Morphology

invisibility = invisible (semi-transparent) = in + visible + ity

Morphologically clear ('invisible' + '-ity'), but the sense as a technical material/physics property requires specialized knowledge beyond the basic notion of 'not visible'.

Etymology

Invisibility uses the same parts in- 'not' and visible 'able to be seen', but in science it means 'not seen by certain kinds of light or waves'. That's why engineers talk about making an object invisible by guiding light or other waves around it so it cannot be seen.