disfigure
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to spoil the appearance or shape of; deface
-
to mar the effect or quality of
Related Words
See mar.
Other Word Forms
- disfigurer noun
- undisfigured adjective
Etymology
Origin of disfigure
1325–75; Middle English disfiguren < Anglo-French, Old French desfigurer, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + -figurer, verbal derivative of figure figure
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The leader called the song “insulting” and alleged the band was “trying to disfigure our identity.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2025
Repeated removal of the tendrils is needed, too, so they don’t disfigure the flowers or stems.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 17, 2024
He practiced the stunt five times at home, he said, and was convinced it would not disfigure the painting.
From New York Times • Nov. 24, 2022
“But, of course, in the end reality wins out, and trying to disfigure it or reinterpret it doesn’t work.”
From Washington Post • Nov. 28, 2017
The flute was invented by Athena, but she threw it away because in order to play it she had to puff out her cheeks and disfigure her face.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
