/mahr/ , v.t., marred, marring .
1. to damage or spoil to a certain extent; render less perfect, attractive, useful, etc.; impair or spoil: That billboard mars the view. The holiday was marred by bad weather.
2. to disfigure, deface, or scar: The scratch marred the table.
[ bef. 900; ME merren, OE merran to hinder, waste; c. OS merrian, OHG merren to hinder, ON merja to bruise, Goth marzjan to offend ]
Syn. 1, 2. flaw, injure; blot. MAR, DEFACE, DISFIGURE, DEFORM agree in applying to some form of injury. MAR is general, but usually refers to an external or surface injury, if it is a physical one: The tabletop was marred by dents and scratches. DEFACE refers to a surface injury that may be temporary or easily repaired: a tablecloth defaced by penciled notations.
DISFIGURE applies to external injury of a more permanent and serious kind: A birthmark disfigured one side of his face. DEFORM suggests that something has been distorted or internally injured so severely as to change its normal form or qualities, or else that some fault has interfered with its proper development: deformed by an accident that had crippled him; to deform feet by binding them.
Ant. 1, 2. enhance, adorn.