Standard Lemma guide

disfigure

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /dɪsˈfɪɡə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /dɪsˈfɪɡjɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S F IH1 G Y ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

to irreversibly damage the shape or structure of something, negatively affecting its appearance or functionality without completely destroying it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • His face was disfigured by a terrible fire many years ago, leaving deep scars across his crooked nose.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

mar or spoil the appearance of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • scars defaced her cheeks
  • The vandals disfigured the statue

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deface, blemish

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mar, impair, spoil, deflower, vitiate

Narrower terms: maul, mangle, scar, mark, pock, pit

History

Etymology

From Middle English disfiguren, from Anglo-Norman desfigurer.

Across languages

Translations

52 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: обезобразявам (obezobrazjavam) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Bulgarian: обезобразя (obezobrazja) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Bulgarian: обезформявам (obezformjavam) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Bulgarian: обезформя (obezformja) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Bulgarian: обезформям (obezformjam) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Carpathian Rusyn: начудациц (načudacyc) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Carpathian Rusyn: очудациц (očudacyc) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Carpathian Rusyn: скалїчиц ше (skaljičyc še) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Carpathian Rusyn: чудациц (čudacyc) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Catalan: desfigurar — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Chinese Mandarin: 變醜 /变丑 (biànchǒu) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Danish: vansire — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Danish: skamfere — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Esperanto: deformi — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Esperanto: misformi — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Esperanto: disaspektigi — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Faroese: misprýða — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Faroese: skemma — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Faroese: avskepla — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Faroese: løsta — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Faroese: meiðsla — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Faroese: lýta — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Faroese: spilla — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Finnish: turmella — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Finnish: runnella — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • French: défigurer — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • German: entstellen — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • German: verunstalten — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐍅𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (frawardjan) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Ingrian: muglia — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Irish: ainimhigh — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Irish: máchailigh — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Italian: sfigurare — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Japanese: 醜くする (minikuku suru) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Latin: dēturpō — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Macedonian: изобличи (izobliči) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Eastern Mari: каргаш (kargaš) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Polish: oszpecać — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Polish: oszpecić — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Polish: zniekształcać — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Polish: zniekształcić — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Portuguese: desfigurar — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Russian: уро́довать (uródovatʹ) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Russian: изуро́довать (izuródovatʹ) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Serbo-Croatian: izobličiti — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Serbo-Croatian: unakaziti — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Spanish: desfigurar — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Swedish: vanställa — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Tagalog: despigurahin — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Tagalog: papangitin — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Ottoman Turkish: بوزمق (bozmak) — to damage something's appearance or functionality
  • Welsh: hagru — to damage something's appearance or functionality