disfigure

[ dis-fig-yer; British dis-fig-er ]

verb (used with object)

, dis·fig·ured, dis·fig·ur·ing.

1. to mar the appearance or beauty of; deform; deface:

   Our old towns are increasingly disfigured by tasteless new buildings.

   Synonyms: blemish, spoil

   Antonyms: beautify

2. to mar the effect or excellence of:

   His reputation was disfigured by instances of political favoritism.

disfigure

/ dɪsˈfɪɡə /

verb

1. to spoil the appearance or shape of; deface
2. to mar the effect or quality of

Derived Forms

• disˈfigurer, noun

Other Words From

• dis·figur·er noun
• undis·figured adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of disfigure¹

1325–75; Middle English disfiguren < Anglo-French, Old French desfigurer, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ + -figurer, verbal derivative of figure figure

Synonym Study

See mar.

Example Sentences

Newspaper reporters flocked to Dumfries and Galloway after dismembered and disfigured human remains were discovered beneath a bridge over a stream.

From BBC

Videos of a beautician performing surgical procedure liposuction in a beauty salon have been shared with the BBC after several women complained they were left injured and disfigured by the treatment.

From BBC

An aspiring actor with a disfiguring facial condition has a radical medical procedure, drastically transforming his appearance.

From BBC

But the film, which hit theaters this Friday, is an attempt to upend many of the narrative tropes that have defined stories about disfigured and disabled people since time immemorial.

From Salon

Following her into a tiny theater, he discovers she’s trying out actors for her first play, about a soulful, sad, disfigured man named Edward.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• deform
• distort
• maim
• mangle
• mar
• mutilate
• scar