disfigure

verb dis·fig·ure \dis-ˈfi-gyər, especially British -ˈfi-gər\

: to spoil or damage the appearance of (something or someone)

Full Definition of DISFIGURE

transitive verb

: to impair (as in beauty) by deep and persistent injuries <a face disfigured by smallpox>

obsolete : disguise

— dis·fig·ure·ment \-mənt\ noun

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Origin of DISFIGURE

Middle English, from Anglo-French desfigurer, from des- dis- + figure figure

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to DISFIGURE

Synonyms: blemish, bloody, break, compromise, crab, cripple, cross (up), deface, damage, endamage, flaw, harm, hurt, impair, injure, mar, spoil, vitiate

Antonyms: doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair, revamp

DISFIGUREMENT Defined for Kids

disfigure

verb dis·fig·ure \dis-ˈfi-gyər\

dis·fig·ureddis·fig·ur·ing

Definition of DISFIGURE for Kids

: to spoil the looks of

Word Root of DISFIGURE

The Latin word fingere, meaning “to shape” or “to mold,” and its form fictus give us the roots fig and fict. Words from the Latin fingere have something to do with shaping. The figure of something, especially a person's body, is its shape. To disfigure is to change the shape and ruin the looks of something. Fiction is something written that is not fact but is shaped by the imagination.

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for "disfigure"

Spanish Central: Spanish translation of "disfigure"

Nglish: Translation of "disfigure" for Spanish speakers

Britannica English: Translation of "disfigure" for Arabic speakers

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