efface
verb
ef·face i-ˈfās 
e-
effaced; effacing
transitive verb
1
: to eliminate or make indistinct by or as if by wearing away a surface
coins with dates effaced by wear
also : to cause to vanish
daylight effaced the stars
2
: to make (oneself) modestly or shyly inconspicuous
effaceable
i-ˈfā-sə-bəl
adjective e-
effacer noun
Synonyms
- abolish
- annihilate
- black out
- blot out
- cancel
- clean (up)
- eradicate
- erase
- expunge
- exterminate
- extirpate
- liquidate
- obliterate
- root (out)
- rub out
- snuff (out)
- stamp (out)
- sweep (away)
- wipe out
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
coins with dates effaced by wear a memory effaced by time
Recent Examples on the Web The fact that their lives also contained sources of fulfillment doesn’t efface this fact. 
Andrew Stark, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2022 The emperors who followed Nero swept it away in a frenzy, attempting to efface him and his works from Roman memory. Gaia Squarci, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Sep. 2020 To suggest that better factory farms are environmentally desirable—or just—solutions is to efface all ecological and ethical concerns in the name of greenhouse gas reduction. Jan Dutkiewicz, The New Republic, 31 Aug. 2020 Small plaques for cremations are easily and gracefully effaced by rose bushes and grass. 1843, 21 May 2020 Over time, the self-effacing and unpretentious Mr. Mubarak was eclipsed by one with an almost imperial sense of entitlement. Michael Slackman, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2020 This is a little sad and self-effacing but great to see the show use her. Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2020 Ryota’s widowed mother, in After the Storm, is kinder, more self-effacing, but prone to attacks of ruefulness. Terrence Rafferty, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2020 They have been effaced by the end of the Cold War, the apparent global victory of neo-liberal capitalism, and the resurgence of religious extremism. Julian Gewirtz, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2020 See More
Andrew Stark, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2022 The emperors who followed Nero swept it away in a frenzy, attempting to efface him and his works from Roman memory. Gaia Squarci, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Sep. 2020 To suggest that better factory farms are environmentally desirable—or just—solutions is to efface all ecological and ethical concerns in the name of greenhouse gas reduction. Jan Dutkiewicz, The New Republic, 31 Aug. 2020 Small plaques for cremations are easily and gracefully effaced by rose bushes and grass. 1843, 21 May 2020 Over time, the self-effacing and unpretentious Mr. Mubarak was eclipsed by one with an almost imperial sense of entitlement. Michael Slackman, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2020 This is a little sad and self-effacing but great to see the show use her. Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2020 Ryota’s widowed mother, in After the Storm, is kinder, more self-effacing, but prone to attacks of ruefulness. Terrence Rafferty, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2020 They have been effaced by the end of the Cold War, the apparent global victory of neo-liberal capitalism, and the resurgence of religious extremism. Julian Gewirtz, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French esfacer, effacer, from e- + face face
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
efface
verb
ef·face i-ˈfās
effaced; effacing
: to cause to fade or disappear
… she wished to efface the memory of yesterday's failure … Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Louisa May Alcott, Little Womenefface
verb
as in to erase
to destroy all traces of when the supply ship finally arrived, it discovered that virtually all evidence of the colony at Roanoke had been effaced Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- erase
- eradicate
- abolish
- obliterate
- destroy
- expunge
- extirpate
- exterminate
- annihilate
- liquidate
- cancel
- wipe out
- shatter
- blot out
- demolish
- dismantle
- black out
- ruin
- ravage
- rub out
- discard
- sweep (away)
- kill
- decimate
- devastate
- stamp (out)
- flatten
- raze
- snuff (out)
- dissolve
- clean (up)
- fragment
- consume
- wreck
- root (out)
- tear down
- atomize
- pulverize
- total
- waste
- eject
- splinter
- excise
- expel
- jettison
- smash
- powder
- devour
- dash
- terminate
- finish
- zap
- doom
- oust
- dynamite
- kill off
- mow (down)
- ditch
- blow up
- blast
- throw out
- cut
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- preserve
- protect
- save
- conserve
- create
- make
- construct
- build
- shape
- form
- manufacture
- fabricate
- forge
- reconstruct
- restore
- renew
- frame
- patch
- repair
- rebuild
- fix
- mend
- recondition
- fashion
- renovate
- revamp