marred

American  

[mahrd] / mɑrd /

adjective

1. damaged or spoiled to a certain extent; made less perfect, attractive, useful, etc..

   We can all get preoccupied with the marred aspects of our character.

2. disfigured or defaced, as by scratches, nicks, scars, or discoloration.

   We love the marred table, actually, because it helps us remember the work, dirt, mess, and grit of life.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of mar.

Other Word Forms

• unmarred
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of marred

mar ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

If something is marred, it’s damaged due to a flaw. If the big football game on Sunday ends with a fight among fans of the opposing teams, commentators will say that the game was marred by violence. The word marred can be traced back to the Old English word merran, meaning “to waste or spoil.” Marred often carries with it the sense of spoiling perfection. It can be a flaw that makes something outstanding less than perfect, such as a movie star’s face marred by a scar or a career marred by controversy.

Example Sentences

Marred by injuries, the team placed several players on injured reserve, with long snapper Josh Harris and defensive back Deane Leonard sidelined for at least four games and linebacker Junior Colson lost for the season.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025

Marred by protocols, attendance restrictions, a chilly training camp and the occasional pause because of coronavirus exposure, it felt like an ill-fitting placeholder for the real thing.

From Washington Post • Aug. 31, 2021

Marred by a simplistic view of history and the timber industry, Proulx otherwise plays to her strengths, with colorful characters and graceful descriptions of the landscape in this woodsman’s version of manifest destiny.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 1, 2016

Marred by a corruption scandal and with construction running behind schedule right into the final stretch, Italian media fretted up to the end about Italy’s preparedness to take on such a global event.

From Washington Times • May 5, 2015

Little praise had now That beauty which in old days shone so bright; Marred with much grief it was, like sunlight dimmed By fold on fold of wreathed and creeping mists.

From Hindu literature : Comprising The Book of good counsels, Nala and Damayanti, The Ramayana, and Sakoontala by Arnold, Edwin, Sir

Related Words

• broken
• cracked
• damaged
• defective
• deficient
• erroneous
• false
• flawed
• imprecise
• inaccurate
• inadequate
• incomplete
• insufficient
• invalid
• leaky
• malfunctioning
• unreliable