mar /mɑː $ mɑːr/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle marred , present participle marring ) [transitive]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: mierran ]
to make something less attractive or enjoyable SYN spoil :
Their wedding was marred by the death of Jenny’s mother a week earlier.
A frown marred his handsome features.
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THESAURUS
▪ spoil to have a bad effect on something so that it is much less attractive, enjoyable etc:
New housing developments are spoiling the countryside.
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The bad weather completely spoiled our holiday.
▪ ruin to spoil something completely and permanently:
Using harsh soap to wash your face can ruin your skin.
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The argument ruined the evening for me.
▪ mar written to spoil something by making it less attractive or enjoyable:
His handsome Arab features were marred by a long scar across his face.
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Outbreaks of fighting marred the New Year celebrations.
▪ detract from something to slightly spoil something that is generally very good, beautiful, or impressive:
The huge number of tourists rather detracts from the city’s appeal.
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There were a few minor irritations, but this did not detract from our enjoyment of the holiday.
▪ undermine to spoil something that you have been trying to achieve:
The bombings undermined several months of careful negotiations.
▪ sour to spoil a friendly relationship between people or countries:
The affair has soured relations between the UK and Russia.
▪ poison to spoil a close relationship completely, so that people can no longer trust each other:
Their marriage was poisoned by a terrible dark secret.
▪ mess something up informal to spoil something important or something that has been carefully planned:
If there’s any delay, it will mess up our whole schedule.