efface

1 of 2

verb

ef·​face i-ˈfās 

e-

effaced; effacing

transitive verb

1

: to eliminate or make indistinct by or as if by wearing away a surface

coins with dates effaced by wear

also : to cause to vanish

daylight effaced the stars

2

: to make (oneself) modestly or shyly inconspicuous

effaceable

i-ˈfā-sə-bəl 

e-

adjective

effacer noun

effacement

2 of 2

noun

ef·​face·​ment i-ˈfās-mənt 

e-

1

: the act or process of effacing or eliminating something

Effacement of the forces that press upon or against consciousness is not a simple negation.

—Charles E. Winquist

especially : reduction to insignificance

It wasn't until after Luce's death, in 1967, that Hadden's name was restored to its place at the top of Time's masthead. His precocious rise and then gradual effacement is the fascinating story of Isaiah Wilner's "The Man Time Forgot … "

—Charles McGrath

The chief fear of traveling students should not be pickpockets or contracting malaria, but the gradual effacement of their experiences so that they become nothing more than a distant memory.

—Michael Maddox

2

medical : the thinning or obliteration of tissue or narrowing of an internal anatomical space

effacement of the spinal subarachnoid space

especially : the shortening and thinning of the uterine cervix during labor so that only the external orifice remains

Synonyms of efface

Verb

• erase
• eradicate
• abolish

Examples of efface in a Sentence

Verb

coins with dates effaced by wear

a memory effaced by time

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Their displacement, whether to touristed shorelines, museums, or expositions, effaced much of their meaning. —Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 2 May 2026

Their struggle has upturned the tabletop candle that illuminates the scene and any moment will surely extinguish it, effacing the giddy pattern formed by the writhing bodies and glowing, veiny bladder skin. —Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026

Noun

To be fair, the effacement of character is itself one of Leitch’s dramatic points. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024

There are times in The Years when the betrayal and effacement of May compels Ernaux to say something similar. —Tobi Haslett, Harper's Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French esfacer, effacer, from e- + face face

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1753, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing efface

• self-effacement

Rhymes for efface

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase

Kids Definition

efface

verb

ef·​face i-ˈfās 

e-

effaced; effacing

1

: wipe out sense 1, obliterate

2

: to make unclear by or as if by rubbing out

effaceable

-ˈfā-sə-bəl 

adjective

effacement

-ˈfās-mənt 

noun

effacer noun