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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of defaced
Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 3 Feb. 2026
In the entertainment capital of the world, promotional materials — including posters and signs at bus stops — for Melania have been defaced with Hitler mustaches, devil horns, and crude graffiti.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
Not to mention an endless supply of bus-stop posters in major cities across America — which keep getting defaced and replaced.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Someone who should not stumble into this, who should not have to see the grave of her loved one defaced.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Vandals defaced a boulder and other sites at Yosemite National Park with graffiti over the weekend.
—Stephen Sorace , Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Just weeks ago, a medical office in West Boca Raton was defaced with a swastika and racial slurs.
—Elliott Broidy, Sun Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
During the demonstrations for racial justice in 2020, protestors across the country defaced and tore down statues of Washington, arguing that enslavers should be reviled, not honored.
—John Garrison Marks, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
Grok, in fact, generated images of Good wearing a bikini and pictures of her defaced with bullet holes in the days after her death.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
As restoration work gets underway on an East Side mural defaced with spray paint, organizers say the vandalism has only motivated them to stand up stronger for victims of police violence.
—Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 3 Feb. 2026
In the entertainment capital of the world, promotional materials — including posters and signs at bus stops — for Melania have been defaced with Hitler mustaches, devil horns, and crude graffiti.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
Not to mention an endless supply of bus-stop posters in major cities across America — which keep getting defaced and replaced.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Someone who should not stumble into this, who should not have to see the grave of her loved one defaced.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Vandals defaced a boulder and other sites at Yosemite National Park with graffiti over the weekend.
—Stephen Sorace , Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Just weeks ago, a medical office in West Boca Raton was defaced with a swastika and racial slurs.
—Elliott Broidy, Sun Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
During the demonstrations for racial justice in 2020, protestors across the country defaced and tore down statues of Washington, arguing that enslavers should be reviled, not honored.
—John Garrison Marks, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
Grok, in fact, generated images of Good wearing a bikini and pictures of her defaced with bullet holes in the days after her death.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defaced
Adjective
-
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
-
For his role as Erik, the disfigured organist who haunts the catacombs of the Paris opera house, Chaney underwent a dramatic — and painful — transformation that involved pulling back his nostrils with piano wire to create a skeletal look.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The vehicles were vandalized and broken into, and several things were stolen including guns, FBI identification cards and documents that included addresses, phone numbers and other personal information of some FBI employees.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Feb. 2026
-
And yet word of the clinic’s existence soon reached security officers, who vandalized it and interrogated the doctor who ran it.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Built for extreme cold Corvus One for Cold Chain uses industrial-grade barcode scanners with precise control over focus and exposure, enabling reliable label capture even when barcodes are frosted, damaged, or low contrast.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Secure loose outdoor objects that could be blown around or damaged by the wind.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
More uncomfortable than the album’s distorted genrebending are Han’s lyrics, which narrate confessional and confrontational male desire.—
James Gui,
Pitchfork,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Sombr’s rendition strips the track back emotionally while reshaping it sonically, layering distorted vocals and a driving indie-rock pulse over the song’s core melody.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The storm that destroyed the home of Shaun and Karen Powers hit three months after the phone call that put an end to Coppermark’s strategy of flooding the insurance department with complaints.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The Talmud teaches that Jerusalem was destroyed not only because of hatred, but because of sinat chinam, baseless hatred fueled by moral absolutism.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In fact, Nanos' last election was marred by controversy.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
However, Machado seems to have regrouped following the elbow surgery that marred the end of his 2023 season and slowed him to start 2024.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Central Park, for instance, has been reduced to a small, deformed square.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
-
As a result, his vocals have a kind of stately yet starry-eyed quality, giving structure to these deformed, cosmic beats from the internet abyss.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
After midnight, one evening in late January, a doctor ushered a young man with a mangled hand into her car and sped to a private clinic on the outskirts of Tehran.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The New York Times, citing the Placer Times, reported that mangled bodies could be seen on both sides of the river.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaced. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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