noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/fɪziˈɒnəmi/
UK, obsolete:/fɪziˈɒɡnəmi/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, US:/fɪziˈɑ(ɡ)nəmi/
1
noun
Meaning 1
The art or pseudoscience of deducing the predominant temper and other characteristic qualities of the mind from the outward appearance, especially from the features of the face.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: face reading
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The face or countenance, with respect to the temper of the mind; particular configuration, cast, or expression of countenance, as denoting character.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The art of telling fortunes by inspection of the features.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The general appearance or aspect of a thing, without reference to its scientific characteristics.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
the physiognomy of a plant; of a meteor
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
the human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face' and `phiz' is British)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Inherited from Middle English phisonomie, from Anglo-Norman phisenomie, Middle French phisonomie et al., ultimately from Late Latin physiognomia, from Ancient Greek φυσιογνωμία (phusiognōmía, “physiology”), from φύσις (phúsis, “physique, appearance”) + γνώμη (gnṓmē, “means of knowing”). Middle English phisonomie would regularly develop into *physnomy /ˈfɪznəmi/ (forms of this type are common in Early Modern English, such as fisnomie in All's Well that Ends Well); the modern spelling and pronunciation are due to learned influence.
Across languages
Translations
30 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
fisionomie
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Bulgarian:
физиономика
(fizionomika)
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Catalan:
fisonomia
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Chinese Mandarin:
面相學 /面相学
(miànxiàngxué)
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Chinese Mandarin:
命相
(mìngxiàng)
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Czech:
fyziognomie
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Danish:
fysiognomi
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Danish:
åsynskundskab
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Finnish:
fysiognomia
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
French:
physiognomonie
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
German:
Physiognomik
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Greek:
φυσιογνωμική
(fysiognomikí)
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Hungarian:
fiziognómia
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Norwegian Bokmål:
fysiognomi
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Norwegian Nynorsk:
fysiognomi
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Portuguese:
fisiognomia
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Portuguese:
fisiognomonia
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Romanian:
fiziognomonie
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Russian:
физионо́мика
(fizionómika)
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Russian:
физиогно́мика
(fiziognómika)
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Spanish:
fisiognomía
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Spanish:
fisiognómica
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Swedish:
fysionomik
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Telugu:
ముఖాకృతి
(mukhākr̥ti)
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
Vietnamese:
nhân tướng học
— art or pseudoscience of deducing the character or personality from the bodily appearance
