mar

¹

[ mahr ]

verb (used with object)

, marred, mar·ring.

1. to damage or spoil to a certain extent; render less perfect, attractive, useful, etc.; impair or spoil:

   That billboard mars the view. The holiday was marred by bad weather.

   Synonyms: blot, injure, flaw

   Antonyms: adorn, enhance

2. to disfigure, deface, or scar:

   The scratch marred the table.

   Synonyms: blot, injure, flaw

   Antonyms: adorn, enhance

mar.

²

abbreviation for

1. maritime.
2. married.

Mar.

³

abbreviation for

1. March.

M.A.R.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. Master of Arts in Religion.

mar

¹

/ mɑː /

verb

1. tr to cause harm to; spoil or impair

noun

1. a disfiguring mark; blemish

Mar

²

abbreviation for

1. March

Derived Forms

• ˈmarrer, noun

Other Words From

• un·mar·ring adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mar¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English merren, Old English merran “to hinder, waste”; cognate with Old Saxon merrian, Old High German merren “to hinder,” Old Norse merja “to bruise,” Gothic marzjan “to offend”

Word History and Origins

Origin of mar¹

Old English merran; compare Old Saxon merrian to hinder, Old Norse merja to bruise

Synonym Study

Mar, deface, disfigure, deform agree in applying to some form of injury. Mar is general, but usually refers to an external or surface injury, if it is a physical one: The tabletop was marred by dents and scratches. Deface refers to a surface injury that may be temporary or easily repaired: a tablecloth defaced by penciled notations. Disfigure applies to external injury of a more permanent and serious kind: A birthmark disfigured one side of his face. Deform suggests that something has been distorted or internally injured so severely as to change its normal form or qualities, or else that some fault has interfered with its proper development: deformed by an accident that had crippled him; to deform feet by binding them.

Example Sentences

More generally, reaction from pro-Trump groups and influencers who previously hyped up vote fraud claims varied - from silence on the issue, to continued insistence that the 2020 vote was marred by fraud.

From BBC

The image was marred by interference, but Romeo thought he could make out twin vertical stabilizers on the tail.

From Los Angeles Times

In Shasta and Nevada counties, flecks of ink marring the bar codes printed on some ballots prevented voting machines made by Hart InterCivic from correctly reading those ballots.

From Los Angeles Times

Mookie Betts continued his comeback from a season marred by position changes and a broken hand with an RBI bloop single in the third and a diving catch in the fourth.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite health officials’ arduous efforts to track human infections, surveillance is marred by delays, inconsistencies, and blind spots.

From Salon

Related Words

• blight
• bruise
• harm
• impair
• ruin
• scar
• spoil
• stain
• sully
• taint
• tarnish
• wreck