DEFACING Synonyms: 143 Similar and Opposite Words

defacing 1 of 2

noun

as in vandalism

deliberate damaging or destroying of another's property the neo-Nazis' defacing of the synagogue was condemned by the entire community

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defacing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of deface

as in vandalizing

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

as in marring

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 defacing

Noun

The investigation into the racist defacing of the black professors’ portraits at Harvard Law School in 2015 continues into an eleventh year with no resolution and no suspects. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025

Verb

Over the weekend, ShinyHunters boasted about hijacking and defacing CLOP’s site on the dark web with an image of a Pokémon. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026 Trump, in one of his Truth Social posts, cited laws against defacing monuments as grounds for imprisoning anyone harming the pool. — Nathan Ellgren, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026 Two men from Germany were arrested after being accused of defacing a pride bench in Miami Beach with antisemitic symbols on Monday. — Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 19 May 2026 No one in Florida had been charged with criminal mischief for defacing a traffic control device until the August arrests. — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026 An inflatable effigy depicting Trump defacing the Constitution made its way through the crowd. — Nik Popli, Time, 28 Mar. 2026 This exclusion protects the home warranty company from homeowners who may try to get replacements for appliances or home system components by defacing or damaging them purposefully. — Dan Simms, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026 Denilson Pires was arrested and charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, and defacing a firearm serial number. — Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 10 Mar. 2026 Sohail faces federal charges of intentionally defacing or damaging religious real property, which carries a maximum three years behind bars. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defacing

Noun

Barr was booked into Orange County jail Tuesday on suspicion of vehicle theft, vandalism and trespassing, said Sgt.

— Breaking News, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
But oil revenue has been particularly constrained by theft and pipeline vandalism that has cost the country about $300 billion in recent years, compounding in a worsening security crisis that has hampered the overall economy.

— Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of vandalism

Verb

Hearn's case garnered national attention, after he was falsely accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and subsequently indicted on a charge of felony destruction of government property.

— Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
To protest in the street, to be arrested for attacking a police officer or vandalizing private property, or making a fool of yourself in any of a hundred different ways is valuable currency to anyone seeking status within an activist organization.

— Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of vandalizing

Verb

The Trib is withholding Nick’s full name to avoid marring his reputation in the eyes of future employers or others who might run a search on him.

— Kate Payne, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
The latter track takes overt inspiration from Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, as Jepsen beckons her love to engage in life’s vices with her, like marring bedsheets with fruit stains and dashing nude through the garden.

— Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of marring

Noun

Riverside has both a community center named for Chavez and a bronze statue — often the target of vandalization — on the Main Street pedestrian mall in the city’s downtown.

— Ryan Carter, Daily News, 19 Mar. 2026
Police said officers from the 116th Precinct had been alerted to the vandalization in the neighborhood and found 11 different police vehicles, both marked and unmarked, with damage.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2025

Definition of vandalization

Verb

Hurricane Isaias made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on Saturday, spawning tornadoes, destroying buildings and downing power lines across the Gulf region.

— Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2026
Israeli soldiers filmed themselves in high definition laughing, looting homes, destroying entire rows of buildings, humiliating civilians, even killing them.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of destroying

Verb

The 2025 decision came after the group claimed responsibility for breaking into a major air base, RAF Brize Norton, northwest of London, and damaging aircraft.

— Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
In October 2025, Baja California’s prosecutor said a drone dropped homemade explosive devices at an anti-kidnapping prosecutor’s office in Tijuana, damaging four vehicles but causing no injuries.

— Armando Regil Velasco, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of damaging

Noun

The end of saving money and raising middle-class wages justifies the means, namely, the destruction of immigrant families.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
The destruction releases vast stores of carbon, adding to climate change that is already contributing to drought and forest fires across the tropics.

— Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of destruction

Verb

This is not the first time a coach in LAUSD has gotten into trouble trying to improve a facility, with the district issuing disciplinary action and demolishing the improvement because it was not authorized.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
On Thursday, the judge ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of demolishing

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“Defacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defacing. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of defacing

noun

verb

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