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disfigure

/dɪsˈfɪgjər/
IPA guide

Other forms: disfigured; disfiguring; disfigures

To disfigure something is to ruin its appearance, which is what would happen if you drew a big bushy mustache and a pair of antennae on the Mona Lisa.

Unfortunately, disfigured people are almost always portrayed in the media as villains, or victims. The word does suggest a negative view of someone (after all, it doesn't just mean changing way something looks but specifically spoiling it). Organizations for disfigured people, however, like Changing Faces in England, have claimed the word as their own and use it proudly.

Definitions of disfigure
  1. verb
    mar or spoil the appearance of
    “The vandals disfigured the statue”
    synonyms: blemish, deface
    see moresee less
    types:
    mangle, maul
    injure badly by beating
    mark, pit, pock, scar
    mark with a scar
    pockmark
    mark with or as if with pockmarks
    cicatrise, cicatrize
    form a scar, after an injury
    type of:
    deflower, impair, mar, spoil, vitiate
    make imperfect
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘disfigure'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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