1
as in disfigured
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in mutilated
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in vandalized
to deliberately cause the damage or destruction of another's property
the principal vowed to get the punks who defaced the statue in front of the school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in damaged
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
years of wear had defaced the fine engraving on the coins
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defaced
Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Last summer, Zeevi, who owns an HVAC company in San Jose, told KTVU that the vans at his shop were defaced with swastikas.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Mar. 2026
Splatters of paint now dot the mural of Iryna Zarutska, the slain Ukrainian refugee, after an unknown vandal defaced the building at the corner of North Western and West Montrose avenues.
—Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
This was not one website defaced for headlines.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Mar. 2026
And in the late 1980s, after Little Saigon found official recognition, freeway and street signs directing people to the community were frequently defaced and destroyed in disapproval, Hua said.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 17 Feb. 2026
As restoration work gets underway on an East Side mural defaced with spray paint, organizers say the vandalism has only motivated them to stand up stronger for victims of police violence.
—Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 3 Feb. 2026
In the entertainment capital of the world, promotional materials — including posters and signs at bus stops — for Melania have been defaced with Hitler mustaches, devil horns, and crude graffiti.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
Not to mention an endless supply of bus-stop posters in major cities across America — which keep getting defaced and replaced.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
This incident was the second time the controversial mural was defaced.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Last summer, Zeevi, who owns an HVAC company in San Jose, told KTVU that the vans at his shop were defaced with swastikas.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Mar. 2026
Splatters of paint now dot the mural of Iryna Zarutska, the slain Ukrainian refugee, after an unknown vandal defaced the building at the corner of North Western and West Montrose avenues.
—Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
This was not one website defaced for headlines.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Mar. 2026
And in the late 1980s, after Little Saigon found official recognition, freeway and street signs directing people to the community were frequently defaced and destroyed in disapproval, Hua said.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 17 Feb. 2026
As restoration work gets underway on an East Side mural defaced with spray paint, organizers say the vandalism has only motivated them to stand up stronger for victims of police violence.
—Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 3 Feb. 2026
In the entertainment capital of the world, promotional materials — including posters and signs at bus stops — for Melania have been defaced with Hitler mustaches, devil horns, and crude graffiti.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
Not to mention an endless supply of bus-stop posters in major cities across America — which keep getting defaced and replaced.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defaced
Adjective
-
The bodies had signs of binding the hands and feet, contortion of limbs, cut off fingertips and disfigured heads, according to Kaki.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Oct. 2025
-
For his role as Erik, the disfigured organist who haunts the catacombs of the Paris opera house, Chaney underwent a dramatic — and painful — transformation that involved pulling back his nostrils with piano wire to create a skeletal look.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The case back then also involved the bodies of naked, mutilated women, plus all the sexism and homophobia that were pervasive in police work in 1998 and are apparently ship-shape today.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The church's pastor was unavailable Thursday, but said in a statement the Diocese of Brooklyn said the 100-year-old statue has been vandalized three times in the past five months and cannot be fixed this time.—
Kristie Keleshian,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Earlier that same month, a woman vandalized the mural with black paint in an unrelated attack.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The helicopter landed in an area where there were no cars close enough to be damaged or to pose a risk, Davalos said.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The driver in front of him whose truck was damaged by Woods’ driving also walked away.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
By 1996, every band with a guitar felt the pressure to crank its amps as loud as possible, and even indie pop fans heard the clean jangle of prior years give way to the distorted crunch and Psychocandy worship of bands like Black Tambourine and Henry’s Dress.—
David Glickman,
Pitchfork,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Transcription’s third section, in certain respects a distorted mirror of the first, is somehow even more about dads and Apple products.—
Hannah Gold,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
First Baptist Dallas will break ground on its new sanctuary on Sunday, June 7, after a massive fire destroyed the church's 134-year-old sanctuary in the summer of 2024, the church announced on Sunday.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The diplomat also said that the IDF’s targeting of bridges along Lebanon’s Litani River has destroyed vital infrastructure connecting the south to the rest of the country.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Their reunion tour — which was somehow not marred by any type of familial controversy — sold out stadiums around the world and overexcelled in every conceivable way, setting the template for what the future of band reunions could look like and solidifying their legacy.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The country remains marred by fighting in its east.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Central Park, for instance, has been reduced to a small, deformed square.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
-
As a result, his vocals have a kind of stately yet starry-eyed quality, giving structure to these deformed, cosmic beats from the internet abyss.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaced. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
