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efface

/əˈfeɪs/verb

To rub out or wipe away something written or marked, making it impossible to read or see.

Example sentences

  • “Centuries of rain had effaced the names carved on the old gravestones.”
  • “Time slowly effaced the painful details of that year from her mind.”

'Self-effacing' is where you will actually meet this root: it describes people who modestly keep themselves in the background.

Synonyms for efface

Often confused with efface

efface vs deface

Find it in: Advanced English words.

Related words