mar
English meaning: Mar
Definition
A blemish.
Example
“A single scratch marred the otherwise flawless table.”
Another example: “The festival was marred by heavy rain and poor organisation.”
Usage — When, Where & How
As a verb, to spoil or impair ('mar the surface', 'mar an occasion'). Somewhat literary or formal. As a proper noun abbreviation, 'Mar.' stands for March or for Spanish/Portuguese 'mar' (sea, in place names). The verb is the main everyday sense.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Old English 'merran' / 'mierran' (to hinder, waste, spoil), of Germanic origin; in use from the early Middle Ages.
Synonyms
- spoil
- blemish
- impair
- damage
- tarnish
- disfigure
Antonyms / Opposites
- enhance
- improve
- beautify
- adorn
Related Words
- plata
- eugenia
- apr
- jes
- pilar
- dolores
- teresa
- saba
- magdalena
- lia
Common Collocations
- mar the occasion
- mar the surface
- badly marred
- mar the beauty
- scratched and marred
- mar his reputation
Word Forms
mar (v); mars; marred; marring
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B