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 features can also benefit audience members who may never identify as neurodivergent.—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
The store's history was documented in several newspaper, magazine and television features.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 May 2026
Noun
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State health departments will continue to conduct daily symptom monitoring, as well as 24/7 continuous oversight of each person, and provide guidance through the remainder of the 42-day monitoring period, which will end June 21.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
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It is made for an on-the-go business person or visitor who wants to maximize their time in the Bay Area.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
This was Eastlake’s sixth appearance in the Open Division title game in 12 years, winning it all in 2017, 2019 and 2021.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
-
That has marquee potential with Coloradan star Sophia Wilson making her first club appearance in Denver.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Physiognomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/physiognomy. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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