visage
Americannoun
-
the face, usually with reference to shape, features, expression, etc.; countenance.
noun
-
face or countenance
-
appearance; aspect
Synonym Usage
See face.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of visage
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, equivalent to vis “face” (from Latin vīsus “sight, appearance” ( Vulgar Latin: “face”), noun use of masculine past participle of vidēre “to see”) + -age -age. See wit 2 ( def. )
Explanation
Visage is a literary term for referring to someone's face or facial features. You may notice that some face creams use the word visage to try to sound fancier than they are. A famous use of visage is in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Brutus says: "O conspiracy/Shamest thou to show thy dangerous brow by night,/When evils are most free? O, then by day/Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough/To mask thy monstrous visage?" Now there's a quote that will help you remember the meaning of visage, and even give you nightmares.
Vocabulary lists containing visage
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Romeo and Juliet
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There are other people around, yes, but they pass unmoved by his golden visage.
From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026
But just months after his capture in a stunning raid by US special forces, the interim government is gradually erasing Maduro's visage from public life.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
When he gazed at the camera as Pennywise the clown, the resulting alert conveyed no concern about the menacing visage.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
Despite the Grinch’s anti-consumerist zeal, the market for his visage has exploded in recent years.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2025
For a split second, one took on the icy visage of Boreas.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
