unmask

[uhn-mask, -mahsk]

verb (used with object)

to strip a mask or disguise from.

to reveal the true character of; disclose; expose.

Military. to reveal the presence of (guns) by firing.

verb (used without object)

to put off one's mask; appear in true nature.

Origin of unmask

First recorded in 1580–90; un-² + mask

Related formsun·mask·er, noun

masked

[maskt, mahskt]

adjective

using or wearing a mask or masks: a masked burglar; masked actors.

disguised; concealed; hidden: masked treachery; masked forces.

Botany. personate²(def 1).

Zoology. having markings that resemble a mask.

Origin of masked

First recorded in 1575–85; mask + -ed³

Related formsun·masked, adjectivewell-masked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for unmasked

uncover, expose, disclose, exhibit, show, leak, confess, acknowledge, divulge, unveil, admit, display, bare, unearth, unclothe, announce, tell

Examples from the Web for unmasked

Contemporary Examples of unmasked

The question audiences of Queen of the Night will face is whether they want to be unmasked and, ultimately, to be seen.
Interactive Play ‘Queen of the Night’ Opens at Restored Diamond Horseshoe Club
Brian Spitulnik
December 31, 2013
Bold satirical initiatives have unmasked hypocrisy, corruption, and brutality in dictatorships across the world.
Celebrate Dictator Appreciation Month
David Keyes
June 20, 2013
Zawahiri says the “true faces of Iran and Hezbollah have been unmasked” by their opposition to al Qaeda in Syria and Iraq.
Al Qaeda Comeback
Bruce Riedel
April 12, 2013
The hacker group Anonymous said it unmasked the author of an offensive Twitter parody account of school shooter Adam Lanza.
Who’s Really Behind the Mysterious Adam Lanza Parody Twitter Account?
Eli Lake
December 18, 2012
Terrorists are unlikely to sign up for pre-screening programs and should be unmasked if the program is operating properly.
How Obama Can Really Get Serious on Terrorism
Neil Livingstone
January 28, 2010

Historical Examples of unmasked

They had apparently not been there long, for they had not yet unmasked.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill
If you refuse, at the end of five minutes the police will have unmasked you!'
A Nest of Spies
Pierre Souvestre
Every one was by this unmasked, and eagerly looking to hear what had occurred.
Charles O'Malley, The Irish Dragoon, Volume 2 (of 2)
Charles Lever
"He knows we have unmasked his lure," Anita put in smilingly.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930
Various
The Cuban's lip curled with contempt at the ease with which he had unmasked Stuart.
Plotting in Pirate Seas
Francis Rolt-Wheeler

British Dictionary definitions for unmasked

masked

adjective

disguised or covered by or as if by a mask

botany another word for personate 2

unmask

verb

to remove (the mask or disguise) from (someone or oneself)

to appear or cause to appear in true character

(tr) military to make evident the presence of (weapons), either by firing or by the removal of camouflage, etc

Derived Formsunmasker, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for unmasked

unmask

1580s in figurative sense, c.1600 in literal sense, from un- (2) + mask (v.). Related: Unmasked; unmasking.

unmasked in Medicine

masked

[măskt]

adj.

Latent or hidden, as a symptom or disease.

Having masklike markings on the head or face.

Having the anatomy of the next developmental form outlined beneath the integument, as in certain insect pupae.