What does marred mean?
Marred means damaged, spoiled, or diminished so that something is no longer as good, attractive, or successful as it once was. The word is the past tense and past participle of mar and is commonly used both literally and figuratively. Physical settings, artworks, and landscapes may be marred by damage, neglect, or vandalism, while a person's reputation, career, or character may be marred by misconduct, failure, or adverse circumstances. The expression “marred by” is especially common: a journey can be marred by delays, or a victory by controversy. Marred carries a stronger sense than merely altered; it implies that a flaw has impaired something that was otherwise valuable or well formed.
verbTo impair the quality or appearance of something by damaging, spoiling, or disfiguring it; to render something less perfect or effective.
- To damage, spoil, disfigure, or diminish the quality, appearance, reputation, or effectiveness of something.
"Years of neglect had marred the building's once-striking facade."
"A single error marred an otherwise impressive performance."
"Graffiti has marred the beauty of the historic district."
To mar is to leave a lasting flaw on something that was once whole.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does marred come from?
The verb mar has Old English roots associated with damage or injury, though the precise development of its modern sense is not fully clear. It developed the general meaning of spoiling or impairing and was eventually applied figuratively to reputations, characters, and achievements. The form marred is the regular past tense and past participle of the verb.
Related word forms
How marred is actually used
The past tense and past participle of the verb mar. It is often used figuratively, especially for damage to a reputation, character, record, or achievement.
Easily confused with marred
Marred means damaged or spoiled in a general or figurative sense, whereas scarred more often denotes the permanent marks left by wounds or other injuries.