as in features
formal
the appearance of a person's face; a person's facial features
He and his son have the same distinctive physiognomy.
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Recent Examples of physiognomy
Such methods are considered unreliable, in particular as they are often based on evidence sets from European children that don’t match the physiognomies of young people from other place in the world.
—
Frey Lindsay, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Thus, the contribution of the men who formalized physiognomy (Johann Lavater) and phrenology (Franz Josef Gall) was systematizing a broader humoral worldview about the connection between body and character, and giving it the prestige of modern science.
—Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
Differences between Genovese and Costello come down to their marriages (the former to Kathrine Narducci’s Anna, the latter to Debra Messing’s Bobbie) and the physiognomy of make-up for the men’s superficial contrasts.
—Armond White, National Review, 21 Mar. 2025
Guston’s first comic for The Junior Times, a sparse strip drawn at age 12, introduced Little Snowball, a Black youth bearing exaggerated racial physiognomy and dialect.
—Walker Mimms, New York Times, 4 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for physiognomy
Frey Lindsay, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Thus, the contribution of the men who formalized physiognomy (Johann Lavater) and phrenology (Franz Josef Gall) was systematizing a broader humoral worldview about the connection between body and character, and giving it the prestige of modern science.
—Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
Differences between Genovese and Costello come down to their marriages (the former to Kathrine Narducci’s Anna, the latter to Debra Messing’s Bobbie) and the physiognomy of make-up for the men’s superficial contrasts.
—Armond White, National Review, 21 Mar. 2025
Guston’s first comic for The Junior Times, a sparse strip drawn at age 12, introduced Little Snowball, a Black youth bearing exaggerated racial physiognomy and dialect.
—Walker Mimms, New York Times, 4 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for physiognomy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for physiognomy
Noun
-
For example, the power output of the laser is not publicly disclosed, as well as other key features like its cooling setup, battery capacity, etc.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
9 May 2026
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Update to the latest version to see all Vogue content, as well as new features like our Runway Genius quiz, Group Chats, and posts from Vogue contributors.—
Rebecca Cope,
Vogue,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
There was evidence of mice where all three of the deceased had worked, and one person had numerous mice in their home, according to the public health office for Mono County, home to Mammoth Lakes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026
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The person asked not to be named because they’re not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.—
Michael Ozanian,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Martínez had four Champions Cup starts and made another four appearances as a substitute.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
10 May 2026
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Making his first appearance since the eighth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, Snell showed rust early, allowing a leadoff single to Mauricio Dubón and walking Drake Baldwin.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Physiognomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/physiognomy. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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