prosopagnosia

American  

[proh-soh-pag-noh-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh, prahs-uh-] / ˌproʊ soʊ pægˈnoʊ ʒə, -ʒi ə, -zi ə, ˌprɑs ə- /

noun

Neurology, Pathology.

1. a neurological disorder, unrelated to impaired vision or memory dysfunction, that makes the recognition of faces extremely difficult or impossible.

   The seemingly healthy woman was diagnosed with prosopagnosia after failing to identify her parents, her husband, herself, or any of her children from a collection of photographs.

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prosopagnosia British  

/ ˌprɒsəpæɡˈnəʊszɪə /

noun

1. an inability to recognize faces

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Etymology

Origin of prosopagnosia

First recorded in 1950; from Greek prósōp(on) “face, person” ( cf. prosopopoeia ( def. )) + agnosia ( def. )

Explanation

If you run into someone you know well, and they look you right in the face but don't recognize you — perhaps they have prosopagnosia, or "face blindness." Prosopagnosia is a neurological condition characterized by the inability to recognize faces. People who suffer from prosopagnosia can see someone's face, but they can't connect the face with the identity of the person they're seeing — even if the person is a family member or close friend. The condition may be genetic, or it may be acquired after a brain injury or disease. To compensate, people with prosopagnosia use other cues to identify people, such as a person's voice or distinctive clothing. The word prosopagnosia comes from the Greek words prosopon, meaning "face," and agnosia, meaning "not knowing."

Example Sentences

The best way to get a diagnosis, he says, “is to register with a lab that does research on prosopagnosia and participate in their studies.” Faceblind.org is recruiting for such a study, he adds.

From Washington Post • Sep. 17, 2022

Acquired prosopagnosia is rarer and “can arise in a variety of neurological conditions, including stroke, tumor, and degenerative dementia.”

From Washington Post • Sep. 17, 2022

Yet prosopagnosia may not actually be that rare.

From Salon • Jul. 8, 2022

"Acquired prosopagnosia results from damage to the network, whereas developmental prosopagnosia is caused by atypical development of the network," the Prosopagnosia Research Center writes.

From Salon • Jul. 8, 2022

What other information can a person suffering from prosopagnosia use to figure out whom they are seeing?

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013