Disfigure: meaning, definitions and examples

Used when something is damaged or altered in a way that spoils its appearance but doesn’t necessarily affect its function. Often used in relation to people or objects.

• The accident disfigured his face.
• Graffiti disfigured the old church walls.

Typically used for damaging the surface or appearance of an object, often deliberately. Commonly used in legal or property contexts such as vandalism.

• Someone defaced the public monument with spray paint.
• The vandals defaced the school walls with offensive symbols.

Used when something is changed in shape, structure, or appearance, often implying a physical alteration. This word can be used more neutrally but sometimes carries a negative connotation.

• The heat deformed the plastic bottle.
• A genetic condition may deform bones.

Used when something is severely damaged or injured, often implying a brutal or violent act. Has a strong negative connotation and is frequently used in medical or violent contexts.

• The animal was mutilated by a predator.
• His hand was mutilated in the industrial accident.

Used to describe damage or a change in appearance, often in a severe or permanent way.

• The burn disfigured his face
• Vandals disfigured the statue with spray paint

Typically refers to minor imperfections on the skin or on an object, not usually implying severe damage.

• A small blemish appeared on her cheek
• The table had a tiny blemish on its surface

Describes the alteration of shape, sound, or perception in a way that typically leads to a misrepresentation.

• The funhouse mirrors distort your reflection
• The facts of the story were distorted by the media

Used to refer to a mark left on skin after a wound has healed. Can also metaphorically describe a lasting emotional impact.

• He has a scar on his arm from the surgery
• The tragedy left an emotional scar on her heart