deform

Meaning

Adj

Having an unusual and unattractive shape; deformed, misshapen; hence, hideous, ugly.

Verb

1. (transitive) To change the form of (something), usually thus making it disordered or irregular; to give (something) an abnormal or unusual shape.
2. (transitive) To change the form of (something), usually thus making it disordered or irregular; to give (something) an abnormal or unusual shape.
3. (also, figuratively, transitive) To change the look of (something), usually thus making it imperfect or unattractive; to give (something) an abnormal or unusual appearance.
4. (transitive) To mar the character or quality of (something).
5. (intransitive) To become changed in shape or misshapen.

Opposite of

disgusting, homely, plain, ugly, amorphous, misshapen, undeform

Synonyms

distort

disfigure

contort

deface

mar

bend

warp

strain

twist

break

dent

change form

make ugly

change shape

blemish

uglify

damage

deformity

wring

turn

flex

injure

jaundice

maim

malformation

malformed

mangle

misrepresent

misshape

misshapen

morph

murder

mutilate

pervert

profane

rejuvenate

ruin

shear

smash up

spoil

subvert

taint

vitiate

wrench

🔧

wrest

break into pieces

put out of shape

be malleable

be pliable

monsterlike

Translations

deformare

déformer

deformar

deformar

verformen

desfigurar

deformieren

παραμορφώνω

deformar

tordre

vervormen

entstellen

sformare

deturpare

gâter

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dɪˈfɔːm/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: deforme

Cognate with French: difforme

Inherited from Middle English: deformen

Cognate with French: déformer

Cognate with Catalan: deformar

Cognate with Italian: deformare

Cognate with Occitan: deformar

Cognate with Portuguese: deformar

Cognate with Spanish: deformar

In summary

PIE word
*de
From Middle English deforme (“out of shape, deformed”) [and other forms], from Middle French deforme (modern French difforme (“misshapen, deformed”)), or directly from its etymon Latin dēfōrmis (“departing physically from the correct shape, deformed, malformed, misshapen, ugly; (figuratively) departing morally from the correct quality, base, disgraceful, shameful, unbecoming”), from dē- (prefix meaning ‘away from; from’) + fōrma (“form, appearance, figure, shape; fine form, beauty; design, outline, plan; model, pattern; mould, stamp; (figuratively) kind, manner, sort”) (further etymology unknown; perhaps related to Ancient Greek μορφή (morphḗ, “form, shape; appearance; outline; kind, type”), probably from Pre-Greek, but there is no consensus) + -is (suffix forming adjectives of the third declension).