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
- disfigurer noun
- undisfigured adjective
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.
Repeated removal of the tendrils is needed, too, so they don’t disfigure the flowers or stems.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 17, 2024
I spent the whole week watching him disfigure movie stars and create memorable monsters, and by the time I left, that’s what I wanted to do.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2019
“But, of course, in the end reality wins out, and trying to disfigure it or reinterpret it doesn’t work.”
From Washington Post • Nov. 28, 2017
Still, the scars from fighting last fall disfigure the community, once home to 2,500 people and now half deserted.
From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2015
This only makes a noise blur across me and the Doorman’s face disfigure above.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
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.
