# masking

/ˈmæskɪŋ/ (US) · /mˈɑːskɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/masking
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. hiding or disguising

noun · CEFR B2

the act of hiding something so it cannot be seen, heard, or noticed.

For teachers: the act of concealing, disguising, or obscuring something from view or perception.

- The careful masking of the old building with new glass panels made it look modern.
- The strategic masking of the military installation with camouflage netting prevented detection by enemy surveillance drones.

### 2. social/psychological behavior

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

hiding your natural personality or feelings to fit in with other people, often used regarding neurodiversity.

For teachers: a social or psychological strategy where an individual suppresses their natural traits or symptoms to appear neurotypical or socially compliant.

- After years of masking her autism at work, she felt completely exhausted.
- Psychologists have noted that prolonged social masking can lead to significant burnout and a loss of identity in neurodivergent adults.

### 3. protecting a surface

noun · CEFR B2

covering parts of a surface so that paint or glue only goes where you want it.

For teachers: the application of protective material to specific areas of a surface to prevent them from being affected by paint, acid, or other treatments.

- The painter spent hours on the masking of the windows before starting the spray gun.
- Precise masking is essential in automotive painting to ensure that the chrome trim remains untouched by the new lacquer.

### 4. audio/sound

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

when one loud sound makes it impossible to hear a quieter sound.

For teachers: the process by which the threshold of audibility for one sound is raised by the presence of another sound.

- The masking of the quiet dialogue by the loud background music made the movie hard to follow.
- Acoustic masking is often used in open-plan offices to provide speech privacy by introducing a consistent level of low-frequency background noise.

## Examples

- Social masking can be very tiring after a long day.
- After years of masking her true personality at work, she finally felt comfortable enough to share her real interests with colleagues.
- While masking may provide a temporary sense of social safety, the persistent effort required to maintain a false persona often leads to significant emotional exhaustion and burnout over time.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.