Definition

Noun: 1. The human face, especially with regard to its characteristic features and expression: The term refers to the overall appearance and structure of a person's face, including its shape, proportions, and the impression it conveys. 2. The art of judging character or disposition from the features of the face: This meaning refers to the practice of physiognomy, which is the (now largely discredited) attempt to assess a person's personality or fate based on their facial characteristics. 3. The general outward appearance or aspect of something, especially as an indicator of its character: This figurative use extends the meaning to describe the characteristic features or impression given by a landscape, building, or situation.

Examples

• Noun (Human Face):

  • Her physiognomy was so distinctive that the artist captured it perfectly in the portrait.
  • The detective noted every detail of the suspect's physiognomy.

• Noun (Art of Judging):

  • In the 19th century, physiognomy was a popular but pseudoscientific practice.
  • He dabbled in physiognomy, believing he could read honesty in a person's brow.

• Noun (Outward Appearance):

  • The industrial physiognomy of the city changed dramatically with the closure of the factories.
  • The bleak physiognomy of the moorland was both beautiful and forbidding.

Advanced Usage

• "The physiognomy of power": This phrase is used to describe the characteristic appearance or expression typically associated with people in positions of authority.

  • The portrait aimed to capture the stern physiognomy of power common among 18th-century monarchs.

• "A changing physiognomy": Used to describe something whose appearance or character is in the process of transformation.

  • The neighborhood has a changing physiognomy, with old shops giving way to modern cafes.

Variants and Related Words

• Physiognomic (adj): Relating to physiognomy or facial features.
  • The study made physiognomic comparisons between different populations.
• Physiognomist (n): A person who practices or claims skill in physiognomy.
  • The physiognomist claimed he could detect a criminal tendency in the shape of the jaw.

Synonyms

• Countenance: A person's face or facial expression (more formal).
• Visage: The face, with reference to its form or proportions (literary).
• Aspect: The appearance or look of something (often used figuratively).
• Facade: The front of a building, or a deceptive outward appearance.

Idioms and Phrases

• "To have an honest physiognomy": To have a face that appears trustworthy (based on the outdated practice of physiognomy).
  • He was hired partly because he was thought to have an honest physiognomy.
• "The physiognomy of a place": A standard phrase for describing the distinctive look and feel of a location.
  • The guidebook described the unique physiognomy of the place, with its narrow alleys and whitewashed walls.

Noun

1. the human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face' and `phiz' is British)