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
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
Her husband would catch her staring clinically at his physiognomy.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
And, of course, there was the perennial punch line of physiognomy: sight gags, sketches, and songs that depicted Jewish bodies as misshapen and absurd.
—Jody Rosen, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for physiognomy
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
Her husband would catch her staring clinically at his physiognomy.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
And, of course, there was the perennial punch line of physiognomy: sight gags, sketches, and songs that depicted Jewish bodies as misshapen and absurd.
—Jody Rosen, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for physiognomy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for physiognomy
Noun
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While these issues seem to have been caused by users’ misunderstanding of features, other, more nefarious security flaws have emerged.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Girarvs Entryway Shoe Bench with Cat Cabinet This 18-inch high bench is designed to store some items in plain sight, but also includes a few more subtle features that ramp up its unique factor.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For a person with asthma or COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or bronchitis and emphysema), this means coughing, wheezing, or a feeling of suffocation, or even a trip to the emergency room.—
Bill Frist,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Team president Chris Drury and coach Mike Sullivan addressed reporters Wednesday from the MSG Training Center for the first time in person since Sullivan’s May 8 introductory press conference.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, at New York Fashion Week, Dylan O'Brien graced the runway alongside an adorable (and furry) sidekick in a surprise appearance.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
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Secondary markets buy what the primary market won’t take, then channel it into ingredients for buyers and processors where appearance doesn’t matter, without sacrificing taste or quality.—
Ivanka Trump,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Physiognomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/physiognomy. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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