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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The Hue Secure Doorbell has some typical features for the category, including a 2K fisheye camera and two-way talk support.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
8 Sep. 2025
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The goal is to allow the fire to meet the holding features at the lowest possible fire intensity.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In 2024, the Cowboys generated about $300 million in sponsorship revenue, by far the most in the NFL, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly.—
Michael Ozanian,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
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Another person from the United States, Ciandrea Bryne Davis, has also been charged for their role in transferring money via cryptocurrency as a part of the conspiracy, officials say.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Those born just afterwards — Steve McManaman, Darren Anderton (both 1972), Jamie Redknapp (1973) — made 37, 30 and 17 international appearances respectively, much fewer than their talent would have suggested, for various reasons.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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While more research needs to be conducted, a promising clinical study found that participants who took a specific soluble keratin supplement for three months strengthened and improved the appearance of their nails.—
Brianna Peters,
Vogue,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Physiognomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/physiognomy. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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