as in damaging
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 disfiguring
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
His body had been subjected to disfiguring violence—not just beaten but run over repeatedly with his own car and partially burned—and many suspected a Mafia-style revenge killing.
—Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
Outdoor turkey frying fires and in-door kitchen stove fires can send residents to the emergency room with disfiguring injuries that often require skin grafting, said Patrick Duffy, burn surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 26 Nov. 2025
Though confused by their new reality in the spirit world, the teenagers willingly decide to carry on as they are accosted by a series of demons such as doctors disfiguring patients, human traffickers, and being plagued by war and terrorism.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 15 Nov. 2025
In between detonating bombs hidden in Christmas presents and disfiguring the entire police force, Art sets his sights on the Shaw family.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Freud's pessimism is exacerbated not only by the imminent world war, but also by painful and disfiguring oral cancer.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
To prevent outbreaks of this debilitating, disfiguring and deadly disease, state and local governments implemented smallpox inoculation and vaccination campaigns into the early 1900s.
—Stacie Kershner, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2025
Killing or seriously disfiguring a neighbor's plants can be grounds for a court battle.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2025
Fred Schulte, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
His body had been subjected to disfiguring violence—not just beaten but run over repeatedly with his own car and partially burned—and many suspected a Mafia-style revenge killing.
—Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
Outdoor turkey frying fires and in-door kitchen stove fires can send residents to the emergency room with disfiguring injuries that often require skin grafting, said Patrick Duffy, burn surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 26 Nov. 2025
Though confused by their new reality in the spirit world, the teenagers willingly decide to carry on as they are accosted by a series of demons such as doctors disfiguring patients, human traffickers, and being plagued by war and terrorism.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 15 Nov. 2025
In between detonating bombs hidden in Christmas presents and disfiguring the entire police force, Art sets his sights on the Shaw family.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Freud's pessimism is exacerbated not only by the imminent world war, but also by painful and disfiguring oral cancer.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
To prevent outbreaks of this debilitating, disfiguring and deadly disease, state and local governments implemented smallpox inoculation and vaccination campaigns into the early 1900s.
—Stacie Kershner, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2025
Killing or seriously disfiguring a neighbor's plants can be grounds for a court battle.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disfiguring
Verb
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Severe thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes, damaging winds and hail are expected across parts of Ohio on Saturday as a cold front moves through the region.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Mar. 2026
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This will help protect them from a later cold snap damaging the fresh, new growth.—
Wayne Hobbs,
Florida Times-Union,
7 Mar. 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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Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate, along with Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, were ejected for fighting, marring what was an intriguing game between the top team in the Eastern Conference and the one featuring the NBA’s longest current win streak.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Guy Rivera, 36, was the passenger inside who prosecutors say shot at police, fatally injuring Diller, 31.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
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But the district argued that, based on Florida Supreme Court precedent, each gunshot injuring a victim counted as a separate occurrence.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Perched between China and India, the country of 30 million people has been plagued for decades by political instability, crippling a largely agrarian economy and worsening unemployment – structural issues compounded by rampant corruption.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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So, in June last year, the president seized the moment by crippling Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disfiguring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disfiguring. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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