noun
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a deformed condition; disfigurement
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pathol an acquired or congenital distortion of an organ or part
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a deformed person or thing
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a defect, esp of the mind or morals; depravity
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of deformity
1350–1400; Middle English deformite < Old French < Latin dēfōrmitās, equivalent to dēfōrm ( is ) deform 2 + -itās -ity
Explanation
A deformity happens when a body part is misshapen. A deformity can also be a change for the worse in something's appearance. A two-headed kitten has a deformity. Usually a deformity is the result of an accident or a genetic defect. Although most people want to avoid deformities, in the novel Geek Love by Katherine Dunn (1989), the mother of a circus family takes drugs while she’s pregnant, hoping to cause deformities in her children. She succeeds with her son Arturo, who has flippers instead of arms and legs. In his world, people with regular arms and legs have the deformity.
Vocabulary lists containing deformity
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.
See Examples For:
O’Connor’s South—influenced as much by Hawthorne as by Faulkner—is a metaphysical realm of spiritual deformity and, at moments, shocking prophetic insight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
The farm's vet confirmed the foal was stillborn due to a rare deformity but could not confirm which one was the mother of which foal.
From BBC ● May 3, 2025
Blessed in courage, intellect, imagination and style, Cyrano is cursed by a physical deformity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2024
Leprosy primarily affects the skin and peripheral nervous system, causing physical deformity and desensitizing one’s ability to feel pain on affected skin.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2024
The denizens of San Lorenzo are unlikely to have shared Europeans' dismay at the physical deformity portrayed in these images.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
This novel centers on Pothivelu Pandaram, a hustling businessman in southern India whose trade consists of managing men and women with physical deformities who beg outside temples.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
In Southern California, lions have shown deformities from inbreeding, including kinked tails and malformed sperm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
As the energy deficit worsens, cells gradually weaken and die, leading to symptoms such as muscle weakness, poor coordination, and deformities in the feet.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2025
The goonies quickly sense that Sloth is one of them and that his so-called deformities can be turned into assets.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025
One thing they rushed to discover was whether my deformities were blocking the flow of fluid that helps cushion the spine and brain.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
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.
