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.

Related Words

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