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
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Xbox's most helpful features, such as Quick Resume, will work as expected when games are launched from the card.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
28 Mar. 2026
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The moon will be roughly the size of a basketball in the view of the astronauts, who will examine its surface for color, lighting, rock types and other features.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Since early February, residents of the Big Bend region have been outspoken about border wall plans — both on social media and through in-person events hosted in cities in Brewster and Presidio counties.—
Lexi Salazar,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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In October 2025, an attacker drove his car into people gathered outside a Manchester synagogue to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and stabbed one person to death.—
KRUTIKA PATHI,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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So Easter is on April 5, the first Sunday after the full moon's appearance.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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Raya, who only had 12 relief appearances in his career and never a save opportunity, struck out the side in the ninth for the Saints.—
Pioneer Press,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Physiognomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/physiognomy. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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