Meaning & use
invisibility
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Meanings
noununcountable
the state of being impossible to see.
Grammar: No plural; used with the or without an article: the invisibility of the gas; invisibility is useful.
Patterns
- the invisibility of something
- cloak of invisibility
- complete invisibility
The chameleon's invisibility against the leaves helps it avoid predators.
Scientists are studying the invisibility of certain gases in the atmosphere.
The magician's trick created the illusion of invisibility.
noununcountablefigurative
the feeling of being ignored or not noticed by others.
Grammar: Often used with a possessive: her invisibility in the group; his invisibility at work.
Patterns
- feel a sense of invisibility
- social invisibility
- the invisibility of a group
After years in a low-paid job, she felt a deep sense of invisibility.
The report highlighted the invisibility of older workers in the media.
His invisibility at family gatherings made him quiet and withdrawn.
Common combinations
- cloak of invisibility
- In the fairy tale, the hero wore a cloak of invisibility to escape.
- complete invisibility
- The spy camera was designed for complete invisibility.
- sense of invisibility
- Many teenagers describe a sense of invisibility at school.
- social invisibility
- The charity works to reduce the social invisibility of homeless people.
- the invisibility of something
- The invisibility of the disease in its early stages delays treatment.
Synonyms and how they differ
- transparency
- Refers to allowing light through so objects behind can be seen; invisibility means not being seen at all.
- obscurity
- Means being unknown or hard to notice, often about fame; invisibility can be physical or social.
- anonymity
- Means having no name or identity known; invisibility focuses on not being seen or noticed.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: invisibility or invidious?
invisibility vs invidious
Invidious means likely to cause resentment or envy, as in an invidious comparison. It sounds similar but has a completely different meaning.
Practice
After being passed over for promotion twice, Maria began to feel a sense of ______ at work.
Choose one answer.
A sense of invisibility means feeling ignored or unnoticed, which fits being passed over. Visibility is the opposite. Invidiousness means causing envy, and invalidation means being proved wrong, neither of which fits the context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “invisibility”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.