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Glite Dictionary
🧽 To erase 🙈 To hide oneself
to efface

to efface

2 8.1
To remove something so it is no longer visible or remembered
  • verb
  • /ɪˈfeɪs/
translation icon : borrar
  • Many of these memorials and stands were effaced after World War II or converted into liberation monuments.
  • efface the distinction
  • effaces identity
  • efface images

Let the leaves of the moment trickle down, The gentle pattern cannot be effaced.

Examples

  • Are there historical monuments or even prehistoric ones attesting to early inhabitants, or have they been effaced?

    Academic text (2009)

  • Eventually, the announcement on the big board of the arrival of their plane was effaced.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Sacred sites have been effaced; graves have been robbed.

    Academic text (2000)

  • So hate wants to efface and wipe out the thing that's healed, you know?

  • He tried to efface slavery and anti slavery from memory altogether.

  • The graffiti was quickly effaced from the wall, leaving the surface clean and untouched.

  • After a heavy rain, the footprints in the mud were effaced almost entirely, making it hard to tell who had passed by.

  • The old memories were effaced from his mind as he focused on building a new life.

Synonyms

to remove
vsto efface
∞ 1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

is specifically about making something disappear entirely rather than general removal
to take out
vsto efface
948 1.9

To remove something from a place or container

means disappearance entirely rather than only relocation or removal
to eliminate
vsto efface
  • NSFW
502 3.4

Remove or kill something completely so it is gone

is the general idea of making something disappear fully
to wipe out
vsto efface
189 4.2

Destroy something so nothing is left

covers total disappearance generally rather than specific violent removal
to erase
vsto efface
144 1.6

Remove marks, writing, or digital files so they are no longer visible

applies to making anything disappear completely not only marks
to eradicate
vsto efface
85 6.6

Remove something harmful completely, for example a disease or pest

is the neutral notion of total removal without harm focus
to obliterate
vsto efface
71 7.5

To destroy something completely so nothing remains

is the broader idea of complete disappearance in many forms
to exterminate
vsto efface
  • NSFW
60 6.9

To destroy something completely, often on purpose

is the broader sense of making something vanish without violence
to dispel
vsto efface
29 4.6

To make a feeling or idea go away

targets disappearance of anything, not only mental states or ideas
to strip away
vsto efface
27 4.0

Remove an outside layer or covering from something to show what is under it

is about complete disappearance rather than a gradual stripping process
to expunge
vsto efface
21 8.8

To remove all signs of something like a record or memory so it cannot be found

is the general act of making something disappear completely
to extinguish
vsto efface
21 5.5

End something completely, for example a custom or a debt

focuses on making something vanish completely rather than only ending processes
to wipe off
vsto efface
20 1.0

Remove dirt or marks from a surface by rubbing with a cloth

is the wider idea of making something disappear in any medium
to sweep away
vsto efface
16 3.8

To get rid of something completely so it no longer exists

is the general process of making things disappear completely
to excise
vsto efface
  • Formal
14 7.2

To cut out part of a body or text

covers full disappearance generally, not only removal by cutting
to clear away
vsto efface
10 1.8

To take things away from a place to make it tidy

means full disappearance rather than only tidying or relocating items
to blot out
vsto efface
8 5.4

Hide something so you cannot see it or remember it

focuses on full removal rather than only hiding or covering
to sweep out
vsto efface
1 2.2

To remove dirt or leaves from a place using a broom

is about complete disappearance without implying a sweeping method
to rub out
vsto efface
1 4.3

Erase a mark by using an eraser or cloth until it disappears

is the broader concept of complete disappearance not limited to marks
to score out
vsto efface
  • UK
5.2

To draw a line through written words to show they are wrong

is about full erasure across contexts not only crossed-out text
to dislimn
vsto efface
  • Archaic
9.9

To make the outline or image faint and hard to see

means making something vanish completely rather than softening its edges

Antonyms

to preserve
496 3.4

To keep people and things safe from harm or change

to retain
60 3.0

To hold something inside so it does not escape

How Complete

to obliterate
71 7.5
to efface
2 8.1
to erase
144 1.6
to remove
∞ 1.5

Surface Forms

efface infinitive
effaced past
effaced past participle
effacing present participle
effaces third person singular

Morphology

efface = face (opaque) = ef + face

Although the form can be segmented as 'ef-' + 'face', the meaning 'to erase' is not derivable from 'face' by ordinary learners; the verb is a borrowing with an idiosyncratic sense.

Etymology

Efface comes from Latin parts ex- 'out' and facies 'face' or 'appearance', so it originally meant to 'wipe away the face' of something. That's why efface means to erase or remove something so it disappears.