unmasking
Stripping away disguise
Unmasking is revealing what was hidden or disguised.
You unmask a villain by exposing their true identity, unmask a scheme by bringing it to light.
The word works literally—removing a physical mask—but more often figuratively: The investigation led to the unmasking of several corrupt officials.
In intelligence contexts, unmasking refers specifically to revealing the identity of a person whose name was redacted in surveillance reports.
State of being unprotected
- unveilingAct of first revealing
- disclosureAct of revealing information
- discoveryAct of finding something
- truthAccordance with reality
revelation · uncovering · exposé · detection · unraveling · decoding · demystification · confession
Quality of being genuine
- opennessQuality of being accessible
- honestyTruthfulness, sincerity
- transparencyState of being see-through
- emotionalShowing strong feelings
intimacy · courage · sincerity · rawness · defenseless · exposure · self-disclosure · confessional
Clandestine coordinated scheming
- espionageCovert intelligence gathering
- deceptionIntentional misleading of others
- secretsConcealed information
- spyCovert information gatherer
covert · betrayal · manipulation · subterfuge · treachery · impostor · fraud · charlatan
Point of greatest intensity
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- denouementStory's final unraveling
- antagonistOne who opposes another
- protagonistStory's central figure
foreshadowing · villain · whodunit · mystery · detective · sleuth · costume · ball
exposure
State of being unprotected
- unveilingAct of first revealing
- disclosureAct of revealing information
- discoveryAct of finding something
truth · revelation · uncovering · exposé · detection · unraveling · decoding · demystification · confession · admission
authenticity
Quality of being genuine
- opennessQuality of being accessible
- honestyTruthfulness, sincerity
- transparencyState of being see-through
emotional · intimacy · courage · sincerity · rawness · defenseless · exposure · self-disclosure · confessional · memoir
conspiracy
Clandestine coordinated scheming
- espionageCovert intelligence gathering
- deceptionIntentional misleading of others
- secretsConcealed information
spy · covert · betrayal · manipulation · subterfuge · treachery · impostor · fraud · charlatan · pretender
climax
Point of greatest intensity
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- denouementStory's final unraveling
- antagonistOne who opposes another
protagonist · foreshadowing · villain · whodunit · mystery · detective · sleuth · costume · ball · Phantom
identity
Who someone is
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- costumeClothing for portrayal
- superheroPowered champion against evil
vigilante · carnival · Halloween · ceremony · ritual · wrestling · luchador · venetian · bandana · balaclava
- mystery fictionwhodunit, whodunnit, sleuth, murder mystery, detective novel
- disclosurerevealing, disclosing, disclosure, disclose, divulge
- dramatic momentsclimax, finale, showdown, confrontation, revelation
- Scooby-DooScooby-Doo, Scooby, Velma, Fred, Daphne
- visibility changesappearing, disappearing, fading, emerging, vanishing
- Unveilingsribbon-cutting, grand opening, surprise reveal, debut, premiere
unmaskingmasking
Concealing by covering
concealing · disguising · hiding · cloaking · covering up
unmaskingshielding
Protecting from harm
protecting · safeguarding · sheltering · screening · harboring