disfigure

verb

dis·​fig·​ure dis-ˈfi-gyər 

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 

especially British -ˈfi-gə-

noun

Synonyms of disfigure

• injure
• damage
• mar
• cripple
• hurt
• weaken
• impair

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

That surgery, which left the boy disfigured, should never have been performed on a patient of that age because the condition naturally resolves in 80% of patients, the medical board said. —Phoebe Quinton, AJC.com, 15 June 2026

The flames claimed the girls as collateral, scarring both of them but disfiguring Anaia, who worked the hardest to save Ruby. —Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Foster pleaded guilty to one count of attempt to kill, disfigure, or maim an animal of another in June, according to the court record. —James Powel, USA Today, 15 May 2026

The disfiguring bulge in Dinah’s lower face went away. —Stephen King, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026

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

Rhymes for disfigure

• configure
• prefigure
• figure
• reconfigure

Kids Definition

disfigure

verb

dis·​fig·​ure dis-ˈfig-yər 

especially British -ˈfig-ər

: to spoil the appearance of

disfigured by a scar

disfigurement

-mənt 

noun