as in to injure
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
the statue was seriously disfigured by falling rubble during the earthquake
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Recent Examples of disfigure
This Upper Paleolithic burial even became famous, though puzzling to researchers, because the unusual skeletal remains were even disfigured.
—
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 31 Jan. 2026
The only one who cares about Pits is her young brother, who was horribly disfigured in a fire and is the target of bullies.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
Without their intervention, Baltimore’s waterfront would have been permanently disfigured, and the waterfront promenade the author praises today would never have been possible.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2026
Many patients who file lawsuits blame disfiguring injuries on what happened after their operations, such as office visits in which medical staff allegedly didn’t recognize, or dismissed, evidence of worsening surgical complications, court records show.
—Fred Schulte, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disfigure
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 31 Jan. 2026
The only one who cares about Pits is her young brother, who was horribly disfigured in a fire and is the target of bullies.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
Without their intervention, Baltimore’s waterfront would have been permanently disfigured, and the waterfront promenade the author praises today would never have been possible.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2026
Many patients who file lawsuits blame disfiguring injuries on what happened after their operations, such as office visits in which medical staff allegedly didn’t recognize, or dismissed, evidence of worsening surgical complications, court records show.
—Fred Schulte, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disfigure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disfigure
Verb
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In December, another snowmobiler was badly injured in an avalanche at Latopie Lake in Mono County, and was airlifted for emergency services in Reno.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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The three people injured were grandparents Linda and Gerald Dorgan, and a family friend Thomas Geruso, Goncalves said.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Overall, European leaders’ positive reception of Rubio’s speech reflected how horrifically damaged the transatlantic relationship has been by the past year of turmoil over Ukraine, and month of arson over Greenland.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
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Some of the fiercest storms in the South were reported near Lake Charles, Louisiana, where high winds from a thunderstorm overturned a horse trailer and a Mardi Gras float, damaged an airport jet bridge and flung the metal awning from a house into power lines.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
12 Feb. 2026
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Hubbard’s own time at UT was marred by controversy over his study of pederasty, the study of adult male relationships with boys in ancient Greece.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Foot traffic at restaurants, shops and mosques sharply declined, turning once-lively economic and social hubs into ghost towns, and threatening to cripple the livelihood of an entire community.—
Yahya Salem,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Working at temperatures that would normally cripple lithium-ion cells, a team of Chinese researchers has built a new liquid-solid-state lithium battery that continues to deliver power in deep-freeze conditions.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Finding solutions that allow AI to flourish without hurting consumers is eminently doable.—
Bradley Tusk,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
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His 1984 campaign angered some Democrats who said his ideas were too left-leaning and would hurt the party in the general election.—
Char Adams,
NBC news,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Getty Images Since the June strikes, Iran’s rulers have been weakened by street protests, suppressed at a cost of thousands of lives, against a cost-of-living crisis driven in part by international sanctions that have strangled the country’s oil income.—
Max Burman,
NBC news,
17 Feb. 2026
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Some purchasers had issues with the hook-and-loop straps weakening quickly.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Aguilar was charged with driving while impaired in Cabarrus County in 2020, during Cooper’s governorship, but failed to appear in court in 2022, according to court records.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
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This is Nissan’s premiere safety tech system, taking over braking and steering like an extra-smart cruise control, or if the driver is impaired or incapacitated.—
Kristin Shaw,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disfigure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disfigure. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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