phrenology

American  

[fri-nol-uh-jee, fre-] / frɪˈnɒl ə dʒi, frɛ- /

noun

1. a psychological theory or analytical method based on the belief that certain mental faculties and character traits are indicated by the configurations of the skull.

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phrenology British  

/ frɪˈnɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. (formerly) the branch of science concerned with localization of function in the human brain, esp determination of the strength of the faculties by the shape and size of the skull overlying the parts of the brain thought to be responsible for them

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Other Word Forms

• phrenologist
  noun
• phrenologic
  adjective
• phrenological
  adjective
• phrenologically
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of phrenology

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; phreno- + -logy

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Explanation

If you think that the shape of a person's head can tell you everything you need to know about him, you believe in phrenology, or the study of skulls. Phrenology is outdated today, but it was a popular area of study in the nineteenth century. It was considered a "pseudoscience," or false science, even at the time, yet phrenology was taken seriously by some psychiatrists and neurologists, who would feel a patient's head for bumps they believed revealed aspects of personality, character, and health. The literal Greek meaning of phrenology is "mental science," from the root word phrenos, or "mind."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

phrenology

The author places the Fowlers’ uplifting take on phrenology in the context of the era’s other reform movements—abolition, suffrage and temperance—which aimed for large-scale social transformation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

The terms “highbrow” and “lowbrow” derived from the 19th-century pseudoscience of phrenology, and the former was first popularized by a New York Sun reporter around 1902, to be quickly followed by the latter.

From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026

“He had to look beautiful, like a phrenology head or an anatomical manual,” Del Toro adds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025

In the 19th Century, phrenology, which investigated the idea that human characteristics could be determined by the shape of the skull, was very popular in the UK and other parts of Europe.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2022

Aunt Jessie was a devotee of palm reading, one of the “minor superstitions” that was in vogue, along with seances, phrenology, and physiognomy.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

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