Synonyms of deface

deface 1 of 2

verb

di-ˈfās 

1

as in to vandalize

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

• vandalize
• destroy
• demolish
• ruin
• smash
• violate
• damage
• trash
• desecrate
• break
• wreck
• impair
• harm
• hurt
• mar
• shatter
• spoil
• sack
• sabotage
• tag
• ravage
• raze
• graffiti
• waste
• despoil
• annihilate
• loot
• devastate
• wipe out
• plunder
• pillage
• ransack
• wrack
• scourge
• tear down
• total
• bang up
• maraud
• raven
• depredate
• spoliate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protect
• preserve
• save
• conserve
• build
• salvage
• rebuild

2

as in to injure

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of

years of wear had defaced the fine engraving on the coins

Synonyms & Similar Words

• injure
• damage
• mar
• cripple
• hurt
• weaken
• disfigure
• compromise
• spoil
• impair
• destroy
• erode
• harm
• break
• bloody
• ruin
• undermine
• vitiate
• flaw
• blemish
• cross (up)
• shatter
• crab
• deteriorate
• wound
• demolish
• tarnish
• scour
• wear (away)
• endamage
• enfeeble
• wreck
• mutilate
• batter
• blight
• smash
• dent
• maim
• devastate
• wash out
• enervate
• disable
• botch
• raze
• lacerate
• annihilate
• ding
• mangle
• pulverize
• crush
• waste
• torture
• decimate
• gum (up)
• desolate
• wipe out
• queer
• clobber
• torment
• dint
• bash
• scourge
• hamstring
• tear down
• total
• dash
• do in
• lame
• bang up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reconstruct
• repair
• rebuild
• patch
• renovate
• fix
• help
• revamp
• mend
• rehabilitate
• heal
• rectify
• revise
• recondition
• cure
• remedy
• edit
• improve
• enhance
• remodel
• better
• doctor
• enrich
• perfect
• refine
• ameliorate
• meliorate

defacement

2 of 2

noun

as in vandalism

deliberate damaging or destroying of another's property

the defacement of the school's property ended up costing hundreds of dollars

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vandalism
• vandalization
• destruction
• defacing
• trashing
• wrecking
• desecration
• sabotage
• demolishing
• ruin
• ruination
• demolishment
• ravaging
• looting
• ravage
• desecrating
• plundering
• spoliation
• predation
• depredation
• despoiling
• plunder
• pillaging
• pillage
• marauding
• sacking
• despoilment
• ransacking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protection
• conservation
• preservation
• saving
• salvage

Examples of deface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

These acts included defacing a statue in Portland, Oregon, that honored George Floyd; a mural in Olympia, Washington, that celebrated gay pride; and a mural in Richmond, Virginia, commemorating the tennis star Arthur Ashe. —David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2024

Under a new Italian law, visitors who deface monuments can face steep penalties of up to €40,000 (nearly $44,000)—and up to €60,000 for more serious acts of destruction. —Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Aug. 2024

Within 24 hours it had been defaced, with her skin painted over in pink and the anti-hate message erased. —Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, 14 Aug. 2024

Several monuments and historical sites were defaced and damaged. —Jamie Joseph, Fox News, 13 Aug. 2024