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disfigure

[dis-fig-yer; British dis-fig-er]
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verb (used with object), dis·fig·ured, dis·fig·ur·ing.

to mar the appearance or beauty of; deform; deface: Our old towns are increasingly disfigured by tasteless new buildings.
to mar the effect or excellence of: His reputation was disfigured by instances of political favoritism.

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RELATED WORDS

scar, deform, distort, mar, maim, mutilate, mangle, deface, defile, blemish, injure, damage, hurt, disfeature

Nearby words

  1. diseuse,
  2. disfavor,
  3. disfavour,
  4. disfeature,
  5. disfellowship,
  6. disfigurement,
  7. disfluency,
  8. disforest,
  9. disfranchise,
  10. disfranchisement

Origin of disfigure

1325–75; Middle English disfiguren < Anglo-French, Old French desfigurer, equivalent to des- dis-1 + -figurer, verbal derivative of figure figure
ANTONYMS FOR disfigure
1. beautify.
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Related formsdis·fig·ur·er, nounun·dis·fig·ured, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for disfigure

British Dictionary definitions for disfigure

disfigure

verb (tr)

to spoil the appearance or shape of; deface
to mar the effect or quality of
Derived Formsdisfigurer, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for disfigure

disfigure

v.

late 14c., from Old French desfigurer "disfigure, alter, disguise, destroy," from Medieval Latin diffigurare, from Latin dis- (see dis-) + figura "figure," from figurare "to figure" (see figure (n.)). Related: Disfigured; disfiguring.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper