mar 1 of 2

mar

2 of 2

verb

1
2

Synonym Chooser

How is the word mar distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of mar are damage, harm, hurt, impair, and injure. While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

When is it sensible to use damage instead of mar?

While in some cases nearly identical to mar, damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

When might harm be a better fit than mar?

The words harm and mar can be used in similar contexts, but harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

When is hurt a more appropriate choice than mar?

In some situations, the words hurt and mar are roughly equivalent. However, hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

When can impair be used instead of mar?

The words impair and mar are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

In what contexts can injure take the place of mar?

The meanings of injure and mar largely overlap; however, injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

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 mar
Verb
Oracle has struggled with a thorny, years-long EHR rollout with the Department of Veterans Affairs, marred by patient safety concerns. Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2025 The agency head said a $20 billion Biden climate program was marred by fraud and abuse. Catrin Einhorn, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025 In contrast with the often thoughtful use of space, the production is marred by a baffling design choice. Christian Lewis, Variety, 22 Apr. 2025 In an interview with People published Tuesday (April 22) — the same day the businesswoman’s new memoir, Matriarch, hit shelves — Knowles opened up about how widespread rumors Bey faked her pregnancy with firstborn Blue Ivy in 2011 marred the experience for the entire family. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mar
Noun
  • Isaac soon betrays and murders the soldiers, including Peck's character, and defects to the Washington Liberation Front.
    Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 6 May 2025
  • In the new suit, lawyers for the board presented a detailed explanation of defects in the tower that emerged from the start.
    Dionne Searcey, New York Times, 4 May 2025
Verb
  • The decision paves the way for Rose and Jackson — two of baseball’s greatest players whose legacies were tainted by gambling — to gain admittance to the Hall of Fame.
    Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 13 May 2025
  • The defense, however, could again argue that the jury was tainted to the point that an instruction won’t fix the problem.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 12 May 2025
Verb
  • According to the Associated Press, no one was injured during the incident, citing court documents.
    Becca Longmire, People.com, 14 May 2025
  • Two people were injured and a dozen apartments left uninhabitable following an early morning fire Wednesday at a three-story apartment building, the second residential fire in Elgin in less than a week.
    Courier-News, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
Noun
  • Sachiko is a glamorous, modern-minded social outcast, marginalized both for her rejection of Japanese patriarchy and the scars of her and Mariko’s radiation exposure following the 1945 Nagasaki bombings.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 May 2025
  • Her aim is to disguise the scar that would give away her status as seemingly the sole person to survive being bitten without turning — or, as Ellie puts it, a chance to wear short sleeves again.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 May 2025
Verb
  • Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.
    Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 13 Feb. 2023
  • Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.
    Monica Mark, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Feb. 2023
Verb
  • Gary said people who had their homes damaged in the March storms can apply online for federal assistance or meet with state and local officials in person.
    Neal Earley, Arkansas Online, 16 May 2025
  • Could this dialing back up be artificially controlled when the brain is too damaged to do so itself?
    Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • This fungal disease causes yellow blotches on pumpkins, tomato leaves, squash and cucumbers.
    Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2025
  • The butterflies themselves are nearly gone, but the ink has left three blotches down her arm.
    Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Water can stain or fade many silk fabrics, leaving a permanent mark if it isn't taken care of quickly.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 May 2025
  • Tuesday’s attack – during which men were singled out and gunned down from close range, according to survivors’ testimony – was the latest in a list of bloody incidents to stain the region.
    Aishwarya S Iyer, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mar. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on mar

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!