marred
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of marred
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.
Vocabulary lists containing marred
"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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Beowulf vocabulary
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50 Great Words from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
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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.
Protesters have been pushing for the resignation of India’s education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, after this year’s undergraduate medical-school entrance exam was marred by allegations of cheating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Amazon-owned Zoox and Tesla are expanding more cautiously, while Uber has abandoned the development of its own autonomous vehicles, which had been marred by a fatal accident in 2018.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Authorities are deeply aware of the risk of crowd crushes, which have marred similar events in the past, with TV broadcasting guidelines on how to stay safe.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
“Notably, no one suggests ‘that these elections were not functional or that they were marred by corruption’.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Here there was no loud laughter, no raucous shouting such as marred the dignity of other men's feasts; Lord Stannis did not permit such.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
