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
-
These Rains cargo pants are a genius way to stay dry in style on a wet, chilly day, with a waterproof exterior, plus useful features like a comfortable drawstring waist and large rain-safe pockets.—
Alexandra Pereira,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
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Perhaps Little Foot’s lineage was more closely related to East African hominins, while South African hominins evolved distinct facial features later on, the authors wrote in the study.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Can America’s mom also be a three-dimensional person who makes her own mistakes?—
Whitney Friedlander,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Police released an image captured from a surveillance video showing a person wearing dark clothes and a backpack, with their face covered.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Neither team scored until Martinez used assists from Stephen Eustáquio and defender Sergi Palencia in the 55th minute to find the net for the first time this season and for the ninth time in the 20-year-old’s 49th appearance and 20th start.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Mar. 2026
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Frederick’s assist was his first in his 13th career appearance.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Physiognomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/physiognomy. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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