Definition of VISAGES

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The word face may be a pretty generic word, but it has several high-flown synonyms. "Physiognomy," for instance, refers to facial features thought to reveal qualities of temperament or character ("I thought I could detect in his physiognomy a mind owning better qualities than his father ever possessed. . . ." - Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights). "Countenance" is often used to refer to the face as an indication of mood or emotion ("Mina struggled hard to keep her brave countenance. . . ." - Bram Stoker, Dracula). "Visage" can refer to the face of a person or an animal, and it can also refer to the appearance of nonliving things, as in "the dirty visage of the old abandoned factory."

Examples of visage in a Sentence

an old man with a noticeably happy visage visitors to the mountain range had long noted that the natural rock formation bore a striking resemblance to the visage of a man

Recent Examples on the Web Amid this oppressive gloom, Stone’s sallow, hangdog visage suggests someone wasting away before our very eyes. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, "Come True Will Haunt Your Dreams and Ruin Your Nights," 12 Mar. 2021 While Half Dome’s smooth visage is recognized around the world, Torlano’s relationship to the mountain is personal. — Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, "Daring skiers complete first descent of Half Dome to Yosemite Valley," 25 Feb. 2021 But that same visage and pace, with a few small tweaks, becomes one of film’s most nightmare-haunting villains in Zodiac. — Nate Jones, Vulture, "The 32 Greatest Character Actors Working Today," 21 Nov. 2020 The reconstructed Mount Vernon distillery now produces the kind of rye whiskey that Washington once made, and 375-milliliter bottles of it with Washington’s visage on labels can be purchased online for $98 apiece. — Margaret Menge, Washington Examiner, "Indiana looks to make a name for itself with 'Indiana Rye Whiskey'," 3 Mar. 2021 When viewing the mirror pieces, for example, there’s a feeling of togetherness because the viewer’s own visage is incorporated within the piece. — Seth Combs Writer, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Meet Amel Janae: Artist considers most of her work as ‘happy accidents’," 28 Feb. 2021 It is decorated with a nose, eyebrows, and a mustache, so that almost a millennium and a half later the glowering visage of its wearer—probably Raedwald, the King of East Anglia—outstares any viewer. — Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, "The Curse of the Buried Treasure," 9 Nov. 2020 His voice is gravelly enough to match his craggy visage. — John Semley, The New Republic, "Painting With John Perfects the Art of Instruction," 5 Feb. 2021 In the new series, Kardashian West is seen wearing a strapless dress bearing a giant portrait of her visage on it. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "Kim Kardashian West’s Dress Is an Ode to Herself," 2 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'visage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.