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

“In the case of developmental prosopagnosia, it is usually a parent’s dawning realization that a child cannot distinguish one face from another.”

From Washington Post • Sep. 17, 2022

“Most physicians and many neurologists will not have experience with it,” says Duchaine, whose laboratory explores the mechanisms underlying prosopagnosia and the different forms in which it presents.

From Washington Post • Sep. 17, 2022

Pitt hasn't received an official diagnosis for prosopagnosia, but he told GQ that he has long struggled to recognize the faces of other individuals.

From Salon • Jul. 8, 2022

Esteemed actor Brad Pitt, who won an Academy Award for his performance in "Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood," revealed in a recent interview that he may suffer from the neurological disorder known as prosopagnosia.

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