disfigure
/dɪsˈfɪɡə
/verb [with object]
Spoil the appearance of: litter disfigures the countryside (as adjective disfiguring) a disfiguring birthmark...
- We'll see if any horribly disfiguring scars turn up later.
- Those children who did survive suffered from disfiguring deformities.
- The roadside can be beautiful with the fresh green of the grass, until it is disfigured by some vandals as they pass.
Synonyms
mar, spoil, deface, make ugly/unattractive, impair, scar, blemish, flaw;
damage, injure, blight, mutilate, deform, maim, ruin;
vandalize
rare uglify, disfeature
Derivatives
disfiguration
/ noun ...- And it can cause disfiguration when done carelessly, bringing both mental and economic damage to the customer.
- Do they suffer from receding hair, facial scars or other disfigurations?
- Workers are fully exposed to chemical toxins and hazardous machines, and suffer sickness, disfiguration, and death at the highest rates in world history.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French desfigurer, based on Latin figura 'figure'.