desvirtuar
to distort
verb dehs-beer-TWAHR Rare
Origin: From Latin de- + virtuare, from virtus (merit, virtue).
Also means
to undermine
Usage Note
Desvirtuar means to strip something of its essence or distort its original meaning or value: desvirtuar un argumento (to distort an argument), desvirtuar la ley (to undermine the law's intent). It is more formal than distorsionar and implies a gradual erosion of worth or authenticity. Conjugates like actuar (u → ú in stressed syllables).
Examples
"Sus comentarios desvirtuaron el sentido del texto."
Natural Translation
His comments distorted the meaning of the text.

Free starter pack
Building your Spanish vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore Spanish by topic
SpanishNow
6 min read