masking
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of hiding something so it cannot be seen, heard, or noticed.
the act of concealing, disguising, or obscuring something from view or perception.
Simple“The careful masking of the old building with new glass panels made it look modern.”
In context“The strategic masking of the military installation with camouflage netting prevented detection by enemy surveillance drones.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
hiding your natural personality or feelings to fit in with other people, often used regarding neurodiversity.
a social or psychological strategy where an individual suppresses their natural traits or symptoms to appear neurotypical or socially compliant.
Simple“After years of masking her autism at work, she felt completely exhausted.”
In context“Psychologists have noted that prolonged social masking can lead to significant burnout and a loss of identity in neurodivergent adults.”
Synonymssocial camouflagingcompensationAntonymsunmasking - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
covering parts of a surface so that paint or glue only goes where you want it.
the application of protective material to specific areas of a surface to prevent them from being affected by paint, acid, or other treatments.
Simple“The painter spent hours on the masking of the windows before starting the spray gun.”
In context“Precise masking is essential in automotive painting to ensure that the chrome trim remains untouched by the new lacquer.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
when one loud sound makes it impossible to hear a quieter sound.
the process by which the threshold of audibility for one sound is raised by the presence of another sound.
Simple“The masking of the quiet dialogue by the loud background music made the movie hard to follow.”
In context“Acoustic masking is often used in open-plan offices to provide speech privacy by introducing a consistent level of low-frequency background noise.”
Synonymsinterferencedrowning out
“Any impacts of COMO on mental health would not be captured in the existing studies, potentially masking social media’s true impact.”
“And we exposed a network of high street shops selling illegal tobacco fronted by "ghost directors" masking the real owners.”