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
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
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing disfigure
Unit 1: Telling Details
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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"Wild Animals Aren't Pets" and "Let People Own Exotic Animals"
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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 bill is allowing things to take place which could disfigure a city like Eagle Rock,” said Quackenbos.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
If a monster like their father can disfigure God, doesn’t his existence pose a threat to a world already under siege?
From Salon • May 19, 2026
Repeated removal of the tendrils is needed, too, so they don’t disfigure the flowers or stems.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 17, 2024
Yet the addition of modern touches threatens to disfigure the cathedral, according to dozens of cultural figures and intellectuals who have stood up against the proposals.
From New York Times • Dec. 10, 2021
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.
