1
as in disfigured
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2
as in mutilated
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defaced
Ann Manov,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
That was the last time the sign was defaced.
—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
The cemetery, created in 1859, was abandoned and defaced before becoming the property of the county in 1967.
—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
4 June 2026
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
But his image had been defaced with black permanent marker, giving him an impressive handlebar mustache and large glasses with what appears to be eyelashes growing out from them.
—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
No patriots so defaced America as those who, in the name of Americanism, launched a witch hunt that became a byword around the world.
—
Ann Manov,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
That was the last time the sign was defaced.
—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
The cemetery, created in 1859, was abandoned and defaced before becoming the property of the county in 1967.
—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
4 June 2026
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
But his image had been defaced with black permanent marker, giving him an impressive handlebar mustache and large glasses with what appears to be eyelashes growing out from them.
—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 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.
-
The bodies had signs of binding the hands and feet, contortion of limbs, cut off fingertips and disfigured heads, according to Kaki.
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.
-
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.
Verb
-
The coating, supplied by Atlantic Industrial Coatings under a no-bid contract, began peeling after the pool was refilled, while bright green algae appeared as the president claimed without evidence that it had been vandalized.
-
That marble sculpture of George III, vandalized in 1775, was now beheaded altogether, to the cheers of soldiers.
Verb
-
Joshua Serad, of Maple Shade, stole and damaged Pride flags Monday in the business district of Haddonfield on Kings Highway, according to police.
-
Flying bricks damaged the crossing’s signal arms, and the crossing was closed by Union Pacific.
Adjective
-
Through a slurry of distorted guitars and deadpan singing, the album brushes against grief, addiction, and abandonment through a layer of gauzy nonchalance.
-
Latvian intelligence argues that Putin is not only looking for ways to pressure NATO countries to back off Ukraine, but may also be receiving distorted assessments from inside his own system — raising the risk that Russia could misjudge Western resolve.
Adjective
-
The nose of the aircraft appeared torn off, leaving mangled parts of the front of the plane dangling toward the ground.
-
Images showed the mangled front of the plane lifted into the air and its tail on the tarmac.
Verb
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The second inferno killed 12 people, destroyed 6,500 structures across the Palisades and Malibu and cost billions in damage and insurance claims.
-
In Paradise, California, a community destroyed by wildfire adopted the ‘Wildfire Prepared Home Standard’ as its mandatory rebuilding benchmark.
Verb
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Already, reports of sparse crowds have marred the Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair on the National Mall, the Daily Beast said.
-
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's trip to the United Kingdom is already marred by drama after reports circulated that the visit was canceled due to security concerns.
Cite this Entry
“Defaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaced. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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