disfigure

verb

dis-ˈfi-gyər How to pronounce disfigure (audio)
Definition of disfigurenext
as in to injure
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of the statue was seriously disfigured by falling rubble during the earthquake

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disfigure Leprosy, which can be traced back at least 4,000 years, can be highly visible and disfiguring, with the primary symptoms including changes to the skin and nervous system that can take upward of 20 years to develop after exposure. — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 29 July 2026 Helen’s famous face has been disfigured, presumably by her angry husband, Menelaus; the sorceress Circe uses her witchcraft in self-defense, seemingly as a result of traumatic encounters with men. — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 17 July 2026 Helen’s face is shown to be disfigured as well, due to supposedly an attack in the Trojan War. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026 Chris Brown was found liable by a Los Angeles jury on Tuesday for $13 million in the gruesome case of a dog that mauled and disfigured his housekeeper at his home in 2020. — Chris Willman, Variety, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for disfigure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disfigure
  1. injure
  2. damage
  3. mar
  4. cripple
  5. hurt
  6. weaken
  7. impair
Verb
  • Not only does Jeong-yo have an emotional connection to his music performance that Pi-o struggles to find himself, but Pi-o has injured his pinky in the leadup to the final performance, thanks to his obsessive practicing.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Someone else got stabbed, and two other people were allegedly injured.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of injure
Verb
  • Refineries in Russia have been destroyed or damaged by drone attacks.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Workers included street signs and sidewalks, curbs and stretches of road damaged from the storm, from the heavy equipment that was brought in or trees falling, Kern said.
    — Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of damage
Verb
  • The designer had felt the atmosphere shift after her disastrous outdoor cruise collection in Marseille in May 2024, which was marred by a mini-storm.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • International observers have described previous elections in Serbia as marred by multiple irregularities and violence.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of mar
Verb
  • Block that passage, the thinking went, and China’s economy would be crippled.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In the days after the ceasefire broke down, the Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi shipping, and launched attacks crippling Saudi Arabia’s oil export infrastructure.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of cripple
Verb
  • One woman writing for Hers described spending about an hour working up the courage for her first weight-loss shot, only to find the thin needle barely hurt.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Higher interest rates definitely hurt the commercial real estate sector from 2022 through 2024, as higher costs for borrowing lowered the value of assets.
    — Diana Olick, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of hurt
Verb
  • Fink said the churn weakens the tie between a worker and an employer.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Other potential causes are higher rates of chronic stress, depression and anxiety, as well as autoimmune diseases, which weaken the immune system, Curhan said.
    — Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of weaken
Verb
  • Some businesses started selling marijuana under the theory that raw marijuana’s THC is in a form called THC-A, which only turns into impairing delta-9 when heated or burned.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Decision-making is often impaired when teams need to validate their hypothesis through external resourcing or there is analysis paralysis due to uncertainty around decisions.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of impair

Browse Nearby Words

disfavors
disfigure
disfigured
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Cite this Entry

“Disfigure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disfigure. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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