disfigure

verb

dis·​fig·​ure dis-ˈfi-gyər How to pronounce disfigure (audio)
 especially British  -ˈfi-gə
disfigured; disfiguring; disfigures

transitive verb

1
: to impair (as in beauty) by deep and persistent injuries
a face disfigured by smallpox
2
obsolete : disguise
disfigurement
dis-ˈfi-gyər-mənt How to pronounce disfigure (audio)
 especially British  -ˈfi-gə-
noun

Examples of disfigure in a Sentence

His face was disfigured by a scar. the statue was seriously disfigured by falling rubble during the earthquake
Recent Examples on the Web The sport had been disfigured beyond recognition before Harbaugh’s heel turn, a downward spiral accelerated by the approach of one tsunami and then another – NIL and the transfer portal – and the NCAA’s response of diving behind the nearest potted plant. Gregg Doyel, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Jan. 2024 Writer-director Aaron Schimberg offers an endearingly twisted take on actors, playwrights, egos and the plight of the disfigured. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Jan. 2024 Two other projects centered on young women with traumatic medical conditions: one an Iraqi disfigured by a war-time bomb, the other an American who suffered a horrendous brain injury in a car accident. James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2023 At the start of 1987, children at play found his corpse in a vacant lot, his face disfigured by splashes of acid. Jason Farago, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023 The feat opens up the possibility of restoring the appearance—and maybe even sight—of people who have been disfigured or blinded by injuries. Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 9 Nov. 2023 Wow, so much easier to be disfigured than just old! Kathleen Watt, Allure, 6 Dec. 2023 For his portrayal of Quasimodo, in 1923, Chaney had help from the makeup artist Jack Pierce, who began experimenting with masks, prosthetics, and chemicals to disfigure or distort faces. Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023 He was surrounded by hundreds of older people — in drab clothing, with serious, and often disfigured, faces — looked toward him in hope. Lucía Cholakian Herrera, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disfigure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French desfigurer, from des- dis- + figure figure

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of disfigure was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near disfigure

Cite this Entry

“Disfigure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disfigure. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

disfigure

verb
dis·​fig·​ure dis-ˈfig-yər How to pronounce disfigure (audio)
 especially British  -ˈfig-ər
: to spoil the appearance of
disfigured by a scar
disfigurement noun

More from Merriam-Webster on disfigure

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