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
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
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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
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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
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Earlier that same month, a woman vandalized the mural with black paint in an unrelated attack.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The storm lifted the roof of a boathouse and damaged a dock, garage, and fence.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Four ambulances belonging to Hatzola Northwest, a volunteer organization that provides emergency medical response, were damaged, according to the London Fire Brigade.—
KRUTIKA PATHI,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
The album opens with droning, distorted guitars, a funereal chug enlivened by unexpectedly gargantuan drums.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Reviewing the Pentagon’s video, Miguel said the footage showed buildings on his property being destroyed.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Even factory resets may leave traces of data, so some recyclers will go as far as shredding a device's hard drive — and verify it's been destroyed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But his first year in Philly was marred by knee and adductor injuries that resulted in the forward having one of the worst years of his NBA career.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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However, Brendon’s later career was marred by both physical and mental health issues; the actor underwent spinal surgeries in 2021, followed a year later by a heart attack caused by a congenital heart defect.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
21 Mar. 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 31 Mar. 2026.
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