1
as in disfigured
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2
as in mutilated
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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
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Recent Examples of defaced
Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
In Australia, synagogues were firebombed, cars torched and Jewish community buildings defaced – the types of attacks recently seen in the United Kingdom that have prompted calls for a crackdown on antisemitism.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
But then on Christmas Day of that year, Roonstrasse was defaced with antisemitic graffiti.
—Daniela R. P. Weiner, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
One very analog cost robotics companies are now dealing with as their products proliferate in the wild is repair fees for robots who have been kicked, ridden on, or otherwise defaced, Serve Robotics CEO Ali Kashani tells Semafor.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Internet users are obsessed with how a realtor responded in the best way to his advertisement getting defaced.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
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
Verb
At least three campaign signs for Sacramento City Council candidate Jenn Chawla were defaced with racist slurs over the weekend.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
In Australia, synagogues were firebombed, cars torched and Jewish community buildings defaced – the types of attacks recently seen in the United Kingdom that have prompted calls for a crackdown on antisemitism.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
But then on Christmas Day of that year, Roonstrasse was defaced with antisemitic graffiti.
—Daniela R. P. Weiner, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
One very analog cost robotics companies are now dealing with as their products proliferate in the wild is repair fees for robots who have been kicked, ridden on, or otherwise defaced, Serve Robotics CEO Ali Kashani tells Semafor.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Internet users are obsessed with how a realtor responded in the best way to his advertisement getting defaced.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defaced
Adjective
-
In a particularly gnarly flashback, one sibling voluntarily — and crudely — amputates his fingers to match his brother's disfigured hand, which lost two digits when Angier shot him.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
According to the Times coverage of the incident and subsequent lawsuit, the scenes shown in the classroom included autopsies, decaying cadavers and live animals being butchered, mutilated and tortured.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
-
But the most difficult parts also offer ways forward — news that arrives via a skull, a mutilated body, evidence of closure in many respects of the word.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At least 45 people were arrested in Paris on Saturday after celebrations over Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory descended into chaos, with fires set, businesses vandalized and crowds clashing with police.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
-
Ask the rabbi in San Diego whose synagogue has repeatedly been vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.—
Jonathan Greenblatt,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
So began the journey to create a hideaway resort sensitive to the natural environment and a marine reserve with the aim to recover the coral reefs damaged by dynamite fishing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
-
The real risk starts when a pan gets too hot, too damaged or used in the wrong way.—
Ryan Brennan
June 2,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Sensitive plants may show leaf curling, distorted growth, discoloration, or even die from exposure to very small amounts of herbicide.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
2 June 2026
-
First, New Englanders have a distorted view and expectation for what spring truly is.—
Terry Eliasen,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed more than 350 Ukrainian drones over territories both close to the border but also as further afield as Moscow, St Petersburg, and Novgorod in the country’s west, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
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Twelve people were killed, including two young boys, in the southeastern city of Dnipro, where a four-story apartment building was partially destroyed, local officials said.—
Valentyn Ogirenko,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Last night, Tatis’ excellent game was marred by a play that should not have happened.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 June 2026
-
And despite the five-year time jump between Season Two and Season Three, Euphoria’s tentpole characters remained mired in the same troubles and destructive instincts that marred their high school days.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Nicola said three of the four turkeys were rescue animals with deformed feet that had been sitting on eggs when they were taken.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Affected carrots will become deformed and stunted, but planting marigolds nearby helps deter these dangers while enhancing carrots' pigmentation and sugar production for more colorful, flavorful roots.—
Haniya Rae,
Martha Stewart,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaced. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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