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
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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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Recent Examples of defaced
John Garrison Marks, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
Grok, in fact, generated images of Good wearing a bikini and pictures of her defaced with bullet holes in the days after her death.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2026
The following day, the Newtown Synagogue, also in Sydney, was similarly defaced.
—Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 14 Dec. 2025
Historically, designs of coins or currency that are unpopular with the general public are ripe for being defaced, such as the scratching out of public figures or the complete destruction of the piece.
—Seth T. Kannarr, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025
In October, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson posted that the MLK statue had been defaced with graffiti.
—Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Schiffmann’s company spent $1 million to plaster New York City subways with ads this fall, only to have many of them defaced or torn down.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025
Israeli settlers torched and defaced a mosque in a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, scribbling hateful messages in a show of defiance a day after some Israeli leaders condemned a recent attack by settlers against Palestinians.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 13 Nov. 2025
The pressure builds until Eddie has a meltdown in public, shaking and threatening the kids who defaced his car.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
During the demonstrations for racial justice in 2020, protestors across the country defaced and tore down statues of Washington, arguing that enslavers should be reviled, not honored.
—John Garrison Marks, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
Grok, in fact, generated images of Good wearing a bikini and pictures of her defaced with bullet holes in the days after her death.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2026
The following day, the Newtown Synagogue, also in Sydney, was similarly defaced.
—Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 14 Dec. 2025
Historically, designs of coins or currency that are unpopular with the general public are ripe for being defaced, such as the scratching out of public figures or the complete destruction of the piece.
—Seth T. Kannarr, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025
In October, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson posted that the MLK statue had been defaced with graffiti.
—Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Schiffmann’s company spent $1 million to plaster New York City subways with ads this fall, only to have many of them defaced or torn down.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025
Israeli settlers torched and defaced a mosque in a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, scribbling hateful messages in a show of defiance a day after some Israeli leaders condemned a recent attack by settlers against Palestinians.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 13 Nov. 2025
The pressure builds until Eddie has a meltdown in public, shaking and threatening the kids who defaced his car.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Sep. 2025
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
Verb
-
Gravesend Park vandalized twice in 36 hours On Monday evening, police say about 16 swastikas were found painted in the playground area of Gravesend Park, located at 56th Street and 18th Avenue.—
Naomi Ruchim,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Across the country and in Colorado, churches, mosques and synagogues have been vandalized.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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You could get hurt, and the appliance could be damaged beyond repair.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Two years after opening, a fire heavily damaged the restaurant.—
Jenna Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
For someone like Crystal, whose childhood would have been violently destroyed by the Rage outbreak, the remnants of human culture become distorted scripture.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Communications with spacecraft are typically suspended during these events to avoid sending partial or distorted commands that could trigger unintended, potentially dangerous behavior.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Well, Federer just destroyed him — 6-1, 6-4 in about 50 minutes — and that left a lot of time to fill.—
Patrick McEnroe,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The fire killed two people, destroyed 1,084 homes and businesses and did more than $2 billion in property damage.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Geothermal energy solutions have been around for a while, though, and have been marred by location specificity, high water usage, and high initial costs.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Montoya resigned after a season marred by the coach being the focus of an investigation into Bay FC’s culture.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Central Park, for instance, has been reduced to a small, deformed square.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
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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
Adjective
-
Schjerfbeck uses the rough weave of the canvas to turn Reuter into a husk of himself, with an empty pair of brown eyes and a mangled ear.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
One car’s wheels have been removed; another sports a mangled fender.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaced. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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