1
as in disfigured
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2
as in mutilated
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1
as in vandalized
to deliberately cause the damage or destruction of another's property
the principal vowed to get the punks who defaced the statue in front of the school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in damaged
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
years of wear had defaced the fine engraving on the coins
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Recent Examples of defaced
Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
In Australia, synagogues were firebombed, cars torched and Jewish community buildings defaced – the types of attacks recently seen in the United Kingdom that have prompted calls for a crackdown on antisemitism.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
But then on Christmas Day of that year, Roonstrasse was defaced with antisemitic graffiti.
—Daniela R. P. Weiner, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
One very analog cost robotics companies are now dealing with as their products proliferate in the wild is repair fees for robots who have been kicked, ridden on, or otherwise defaced, Serve Robotics CEO Ali Kashani tells Semafor.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Internet users are obsessed with how a realtor responded in the best way to his advertisement getting defaced.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
This incident was the second time the controversial mural was defaced.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Last summer, Zeevi, who owns an HVAC company in San Jose, told KTVU that the vans at his shop were defaced with swastikas.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Mar. 2026
Splatters of paint now dot the mural of Iryna Zarutska, the slain Ukrainian refugee, after an unknown vandal defaced the building at the corner of North Western and West Montrose avenues.
—Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
At least three campaign signs for Sacramento City Council candidate Jenn Chawla were defaced with racist slurs over the weekend.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
In Australia, synagogues were firebombed, cars torched and Jewish community buildings defaced – the types of attacks recently seen in the United Kingdom that have prompted calls for a crackdown on antisemitism.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
But then on Christmas Day of that year, Roonstrasse was defaced with antisemitic graffiti.
—Daniela R. P. Weiner, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
One very analog cost robotics companies are now dealing with as their products proliferate in the wild is repair fees for robots who have been kicked, ridden on, or otherwise defaced, Serve Robotics CEO Ali Kashani tells Semafor.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Internet users are obsessed with how a realtor responded in the best way to his advertisement getting defaced.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
This incident was the second time the controversial mural was defaced.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Last summer, Zeevi, who owns an HVAC company in San Jose, told KTVU that the vans at his shop were defaced with swastikas.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Mar. 2026
Splatters of paint now dot the mural of Iryna Zarutska, the slain Ukrainian refugee, after an unknown vandal defaced the building at the corner of North Western and West Montrose avenues.
—Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defaced
Adjective
-
In a particularly gnarly flashback, one sibling voluntarily — and crudely — amputates his fingers to match his brother's disfigured hand, which lost two digits when Angier shot him.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The bodies had signs of binding the hands and feet, contortion of limbs, cut off fingertips and disfigured heads, according to Kaki.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
According to the Times coverage of the incident and subsequent lawsuit, the scenes shown in the classroom included autopsies, decaying cadavers and live animals being butchered, mutilated and tortured.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
-
But the most difficult parts also offer ways forward — news that arrives via a skull, a mutilated body, evidence of closure in many respects of the word.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Deputies said the man then vandalized the truck with a rock before returning to the brush.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
-
Historic Palmetto cemetery vandalized, deputies say Old Memphis Cemetery is tied to Palmetto’s historic Memphis neighborhood, which was originally plotted in 1904, according to a state historical marker at the site.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
An estimated 40 percent of the Chernobyl museum was reportedly destroyed, while the NAMU’s landmark building was damaged by a blast wave.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
26 May 2026
-
According to the Kyiv Post, approximately 40 percent of the National Chernobyl Museum’s artifacts were damaged beyond recovery by the military attacks.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Pointing out distorted thinking and driving cognitive reframing.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
These aphids reproduce rapidly and can quickly get out of control and overtake a rose bush, resulting in distorted growth.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Beyond the physical destruction, the Great War, as it was then known, destroyed a world where many people believed in progress and gradual advance and replaced it with a cynical and desperate world, in which nations and ideologies were natural and necessary enemies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
-
Trump has repeatedly said Iran would not receive any sanctions relief until its stockpile of fissile material is removed and destroyed.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The case has been marred by controversy, racial tension and threats, while drawing national attention, particularly on social media.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
-
Now adults, after a childhood marred with tragedy, Guin flogs a memoir only tangentially related to the truth, and Ennis stages a new art exhibit, despite what happened at the last one.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Nicola said three of the four turkeys were rescue animals with deformed feet that had been sitting on eggs when they were taken.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Affected carrots will become deformed and stunted, but planting marigolds nearby helps deter these dangers while enhancing carrots' pigmentation and sugar production for more colorful, flavorful roots.—
Haniya Rae,
Martha Stewart,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaced. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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