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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Monica Hooper is an award-winning features writer specializing in entertainment news for Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley.—
Dustin Staggs,
Arkansas Online,
6 Oct. 2025
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The cabin-style home’s external features are just as impressive as what’s inside, too.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The recall notice states the doors can suddenly close when a person is reaching inside.—
Alex Perry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Oct. 2025
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One person familiar with the negotiations told the newspaper that the university was reluctant to directly pay the federal government.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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What To Know Xavier Donaldson, defense attorney for Combs, addressed reports that his client had booked speaking appearances in Miami for next week, seemingly in anticipation of a light sentence.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Oct. 2025
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Since the sausages began racing, the Brewers have only made it to the postseason eight times and their only World Series appearance came much earlier, in 1982.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Physiognomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/physiognomy. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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