visage

noun

vis·​age ˈvi-zij 

1

: the face, countenance, or appearance of a person or sometimes an animal

2

: aspect, appearance

the grimy visage of a mining town

Did you know?

In “Ozymandias,” Percy Bysshe Shelley’s famous poem, a traveller tells of a colossal statue’s “shattered visage” lying half sunk in desert sands, going on to describe its “frown / And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command…” Now, Shelley could have simply chosen face over the more highfalutin synonym visage, but not only would face shatter the sonnet’s iambic pentameter, but a formal-sounding word is sometimes preferable to a basic one for all kinds of reasons, including sound, tone, or simply the cut of its jib. Physiognomy, for instance, refers to facial features thought to reveal qualities of temperament or character, as when Emily Brontë writes in Wuthering Heights, “I thought I could detect in his physiognomy a mind owning better qualities than his father ever possessed.” Countenance, meanwhile, is often used to refer to the face as an indication of mood or emotion, as in Bram Stoker’s Dracula: “Mina struggled hard to keep her brave countenance.” As all of these quotes attest, when it comes to wordsmithery, sometimes you’ve just got to vamp.

Synonyms

• cast
• countenance
• expression
• face
• look

Examples of visage in a Sentence

an old man with a noticeably happy visage

visitors to the mountain range had long noted that the natural rock formation bore a striking resemblance to the visage of a man

Recent Examples on the Web

The sculpture's removal marks the end of an era, with its unique visage watching over the city during turbulent years marked by earthquakes, plumbing problems, and political divisions. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Heidi Klum as an alien transformer in 2010 Klum went as an alien transformer in 2010, embracing a glittery purple visage, wearing bright red armor, and walking on stilts. —Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024

The finding could offer clues as to how and why humans see this visage mirage. —Byhannah Richter, science.org, 4 Oct. 2024

That much is evident in the shots that bookend this compassionate film — two women, surveying their own visages in different hairdresser mirrors. —Tomris Laffly, Variety, 2 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from vis face, from Latin visus sight, from vidēre to see — more at wit

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

visage

noun

vis·​age ˈviz-ij 

1

: the face

also : an expression of the face

2

: the outward appearance of a person, animal, or thing