defaced 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in disfigured

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2
as in mutilated

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defaced

2 of 2

verb

past tense of deface
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

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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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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
Verb
Rioting broke out in some cities as luxury boutiques and supermarkets were looted while public buildings were defaced and even set on fire. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026 The building's pine ceilings were in disrepair and its brick walls were damaged, poorly painted, or defaced with graffiti. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Sep. 2026 Continue reading … HOLY GROUND ATTACK — World-famous Catholic shrine defaced and set on fire. — FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defaced
  1. disfigured
  2. mutilated
  3. vandalized
  4. damaged
  5. distorted
  6. mangled
  7. destroyed
  8. marred
Adjective
  • An adaptation of the comic book character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, Clayface features Tom Rhys Harries as a man who begins to unravel after undergoing an experimental procedure to fix his disfigured face.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Those who survived the disease were often left disfigured and scarred.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of disfigured
Adjective
  • Pull some treats from the open coffin at Scotto Funeral Home, on the corner of Court Street and 2nd Place, then head to President near Hoyt to gawk at bloodstained windows and mutilated dolls.
    — Fiorella Valdesolo, Curbed, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Ken Russell’s The Devils originally came out in 1971 in a mutilated version, and nobody quite knew what to do with it at the time.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of mutilated
Verb
  • The vacant school has been vandalized and costs LAUSD about $20,000 a month to secure.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Among the storefronts vandalized were at least 13 on both sides of Clark Street, between Fullerton Parkway and Deming Place.
    — Tara Molina, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of vandalized
Verb
  • Handsink nearest kitchen entrance from seating area damaged and peeling off of wall.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Much of Jewish Iraqi American conceptual artist Michael Rakowitz’s work focuses on re-creating or giving new life to religious materials that were stolen, damaged or destroyed amid war and persecution.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of damaged
Adjective
  • Its songs are littered with black holes, disasters, nuclear bombs; there are guttural screams and onslaughts of distorted guitar.
    — Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 28 Oct. 2026
  • That mark gets repeats on the tongue tag and insole, the latter of which also features a distorted and distinct black and white graphic.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of distorted
Adjective
  • This fencing appeared to have been lifted up and twisted, landing in a mangled and haphazard manner.
    — Mike Stunson, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • Chopper 4 was on the scene where a white car was flipped over and completely mangled.
    — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Definition of mangled
Verb
  • Both the rocket and the camera were destroyed after crashing into the Earth at a speed of about 340 miles per hour.
    — Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Cities outside Paris have been hit hard by the unrest, including Limoges where a fire nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroyed
Verb
  • When some youngsters in Rome tried to set a dumpster on fire, others quickly extinguished the blaze, keen to avoid the type of violence that has marred similar protests in France.
    — Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Yet because the brain disease can be diagnosed only after death, conclusions from previous studies were marred by selection bias — a systematic error that occurs when those chosen for analysis do not properly represent the target population.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of marred

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Cite this Entry

“Defaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaced. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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