Synonyms of mar

mar 1 of 2

noun

as in defect

something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing

the Johnsons complained to the movers about broken dishes and mars on the furniture

Synonyms & Similar Words

• defect
• scar
• blotch
• mark
• stain
• blemish
• blight
• deformity
• imperfection
• irregularity
• distortion
• flaw
• fault
• disfigurement
• excrescence
• spot
• pockmark
• bug
• taint
• injury
• abnormality
• excrescency
• blot
• damage
• weakness
• malformation
• misshape
• blur
• glitch
• impairment
• failing
• kink
• defacement

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enhancement
• decoration
• ornament
• adornment
• embellishment

mar

2 of 2

verb

ˈmär 

1

as in to taint

to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable

mar a politician's reputation with scurrilous rumors

Synonyms & Similar Words

• taint
• spoil
• stain
• darken
• poison
• tarnish
• touch
• degrade
• blemish
• vitiate
• distort
• blacken
• discredit
• pollute
• sully
• smear
• discolor
• soil
• corrupt
• dirty
• smudge
• besmirch
• blur
• tar
• disgrace
• dishonor
• debase
• cheapen
• shame
• cloud
• demean
• smirch
• sink
• pervert
• besmear
• subvert
• abase
• lower
• deprave
• smut
• debauch
• foul
• twist
• color
• begrime
• demoralize
• bastardize

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• purify
• cleanse
• elevate
• magnify
• glorify
• uplift
• dignify
• ennoble
• hallow
• enshrine

2

as in to injure

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of

the once glossy surface is now marred by numerous small pits and abrasions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• injure
• damage
• impair
• hurt
• weaken
• cripple
• spoil
• compromise
• erode
• harm
• disfigure
• ruin
• break
• bloody
• vitiate
• deface
• blemish
• flaw
• destroy
• undermine
• cross (up)
• deteriorate
• shatter
• crab
• tarnish
• wound
• endamage
• enervate
• dent
• blight
• wear (away)
• ding
• enfeeble
• wreck
• demolish
• batter
• scour
• wash out
• devastate
• botch
• maim
• gum (up)
• mutilate
• lacerate
• mangle
• wipe out
• smash
• desolate
• tear down
• torture
• torment
• dint
• disable
• decimate
• crush
• raze
• annihilate
• waste
• total
• queer
• hamstring
• pulverize
• do in
• dash
• scourge
• lame
• clobber
• bash
• bang up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• patch
• repair
• fix
• rebuild
• reconstruct
• mend
• renovate
• help
• heal
• rectify
• cure
• revamp
• remedy
• rehabilitate
• improve
• enhance
• recondition
• revise
• edit
• perfect
• better
• remodel
• enrich
• ameliorate
• doctor
• refine
• meliorate

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

Recent Examples of mar

Verb

But since then, Palestinian passage through the crossing has been marred by delays, interrogations and uncertainty over who would be allowed to cross. —Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026

These attacks often provided a larger cultural pretext for the campaigns of extralegal political violence that terrorized Black voters in the South, assassinated political leaders, and marred the integrity of several of the region’s major elections. —Robert D. Bland, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026

Todd Gloria San Diego mayor faces public anger over new parking fees at iconic Balboa Park, an effort marred by falling attendance, glitchy pay kiosks, and news that much of the money won’t even fund park projects. —Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2026

But his first year in Philly was marred by knee and adductor injuries that resulted in the forward having one of the worst years of his NBA career. —Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2026