disfiguring

verb

present participle of disfigure
as in damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of the statue was seriously disfigured by falling rubble during the earthquake

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disfiguring The disfiguring bulge in Dinah’s lower face went away. — Stephen King, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026 The flames claimed the girls as collateral, scarring both of them but disfiguring Anaia, who worked the hardest to save Ruby. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 The trouble is, the new growth is highly susceptible to a disfiguring disease called Entomosporium leaf spot. — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026 His body had been subjected to disfiguring violence—not just beaten but run over repeatedly with his own car and partially burned—and many suspected a Mafia-style revenge killing. — Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025 Hollenbeck and Watkins were reacting to the news outlets’ series, which examined allegations of disfiguring injuries or even deaths tied to cosmetic surgeries. — Fred Schulte, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026 Though confused by their new reality in the spirit world, the teenagers willingly decide to carry on as they are accosted by a series of demons such as doctors disfiguring patients, human traffickers, and being plagued by war and terrorism. — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 15 Nov. 2025 Many patients who file lawsuits blame disfiguring injuries on what happened after their operations, such as office visits in which medical staff allegedly didn’t recognize, or dismissed, evidence of worsening surgical complications, court records show. — Fred Schulte, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025 Outdoor turkey frying fires and in-door kitchen stove fires can send residents to the emergency room with disfiguring injuries that often require skin grafting, said Patrick Duffy, burn surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. — Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disfiguring
  1. damaging
  2. marring
  3. injuring
  4. crippling
Verb
  • Using X-ray and advanced sensors, PNNL scientists have been able to monitor material health without damaging components being tested.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 2 July 2026
  • How to Remove Deodorant Stains With Baking Soda Baking soda is a natural deodorizer and a mild abrasive that helps lift both fresh and set-in deodorant stains without damaging fabrics, says Sokolowski.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 2 July 2026
Definition of damaging
Verb
  • Lined with live oaks and old-fashioned, busy storefronts, this artsy town on the Gulf of Mexico has no commercial development marring its shoreline.
    — Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
  • In Strasbourg, groups of Palace supporters clashed among themselves in a square in the city centre, marring the occasion.
    — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Definition of marring
Verb
  • On Sunday, Russia bombarded Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv with dozens of missiles and hundreds of strike drones, killing at least 11 and injuring scores more, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and media reports.
    — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 7 July 2026
  • The overnight attack comes just days after Russia launched a deadly assault on Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday morning, killing at least 31 people and injuring more than 80.
    — Tiago Ventura, Time, 6 July 2026
Definition of injuring
Verb
  • Florida didn’t have the cap space to work out the shorter term deal without crippling its ability to make other moves this offseason to enhance the roster.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
  • Eddie Marsan also delivers a sympathetic turn as the sad sack dad worn down by the effects of capitalism and sometimes crippling OCD.
    — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Definition of crippling

Browse Nearby Words

disfigures
disfiguring
disfranchise
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Cite this Entry

“Disfiguring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disfiguring. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on disfiguring

Nglish: Translation of disfiguring for Spanish Speakers

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