visage
gb/vˈɪzɪd͡ʒ/ us/vˈɪzɪd͡ʒ/
C1
English
~ 8600
arc, orca, arckifejezés, arculat
NOUN
C1
LITERARY
1
Usage pattern:
someone's visage; the visage of [someone]
The old king’s stern visage softened when he saw the child.
Az öreg király szigorú arca meglágyult, amikor meglátta a gyermeket.
Under the hood, only a narrow strip of his visage was visible.
A csuklya alatt csak az arcának egy keskeny sávja látszott.
Her radiant visage lit up the dark hall as she entered.
Artists came from across the city to paint his memorable visage.
The mask hid his visage, leaving his identity a mystery.
Learner examples
The actor has a very strong visage.
A színésznek nagyon karakteres arca van.
A scarf covered most of her visage.
Egy sál az arcának a nagy részét eltakarta.
His tired visage showed how hard he had worked.
The light from the window fell across her gentle visage.
He washed his visage in cold water.
Common mistake:
Learners often think "visage" can replace "face" in all situations. In modern English, "visage" is rare and mainly used in literary or very formal writing. In everyday speech and normal writing, use "face" instead.
Meaning
a person's face
Collocations
pale visage
|stern visage
|smiling visage
|his rugged visage
|her fair visage
|weathered visage
Synonyms
face (The normal, everyday word; much less formal or literary than "visage".)
|
countenance (Very formal or old-fashioned; often suggests both the face and its expression.)
Antonyms
back (of the head) (Refers to the opposite side from the face, not the front part that is called the visage.)
Themes
appearance
|body
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A person’s face, especially when written in a formal or literary style.
The face of a person, especially considered as a whole surface or in a slightly elevated, literary way.
NOUN
C1
LITERARY
2
arckifejezés
B1
Usage pattern:
someone's visage [looks/appears] [adjective]
A grim visage settled over the general as he read the report.
Komor arckifejezés ült ki a tábornok arcára, miközben olvasta a jelentést.
Her once-bright visage now bore a tired, haunted look.
Az egykor derűs arcán most fáradt, gyötört kifejezés ült.
At the news, his visage changed from doubt to quiet relief.
The child’s laughing visage lifted everyone’s spirits.
Behind his calm visage, she sensed a deep unease.
Learner examples
His happy visage made everyone feel relaxed.
Vidám arckifejezése mindenkit megnyugtatott.
When she heard the bad news, her visage became sad.
Amikor meghallotta a rossz hírt, az arckifejezése szomorúvá vált.
The teacher’s angry visage scared the students.
After the game, his tired visage showed on camera.
Her calm visage did not show her worry inside.
Common mistake:
Learners may use "visage" where "expression" or "look" is more natural, especially in speech. In modern English, "visage" for facial expression sounds literary or old-fashioned, usually found in novels, poetry, or historical writing.
Meaning
a face’s expression or look
Collocations
grim visage
|haunted visage
|cheerful visage
|stony visage
|careworn visage
|visage darkened
Synonyms
expression (Neutral and common; refers to how the face shows feelings, without the literary tone of "visage".)
|
look (Very general, everyday word for the way someone’s face appears at a moment.)
Antonyms
blankness (A face with no clear feeling or expression, opposite to a marked, readable visage.)
Themes
appearance
|emotions
|body
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The way a person’s face looks, showing a feeling or mood, in formal or literary language.
The expression or overall look of a person’s face, especially as it reveals mood or character, in a literary style.
NOUN
C2
LITERARY
3
Usage pattern:
the visage of [something]
The changing visage of the city reflects its rapid growth.
A város változó arculata gyors növekedését tükrözi.
From our camp, we gazed at the bleak visage of the snow-covered plain.
A táborunkból a hóborította síkság zord arcát néztük.
Decades of conflict had scarred the once-peaceful visage of the region.
The new government sought to remake the nation’s visage on the world stage.
At dawn, the harsh visage of the desert softened under the pink light.
Learner examples
The old building gives the street a dark visage.
A régi épület sötét arculatot ad az utcának.
At night, the town takes on a different visage.
Éjszaka a város más arculatot ölt.
Rain changed the mountain’s gentle visage to something wild.
The new bridge will change the river’s visage.
War left the country with a sad visage.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use this sense of "visage" in everyday descriptions of objects (e.g., "the visage of my phone"), which sounds strange. In modern English this sense is rare and mainly used in poetic or very formal writing, often for landscapes, cities, or abstract ideas like war or a nation.
Meaning
outward appearance of something
Collocations
the changing visage of the city
|the barren visage of the moon
|the grim visage of war
|the rugged visage of the cliffs
|the new visage of the nation
Synonyms
appearance (Neutral general word; "visage" is more poetic and personifies the thing.)
|
aspect (Formal and similar, but does not automatically personify in the way "visage" often does.)
Antonyms
interior (Refers to the inside of something, the opposite of its outward visage or surface appearance.)
Themes
nature
|society
|arts_entertainment
|communication
Definition
The outside look or surface of something, written in a very literary way, as if it has a face.
The outward surface or general appearance of a place, object, or abstract thing, described as if it had a face, in a literary style.
Grammar
Dictionary form
visage
IPA
GB/vˈɪzɪd͡ʒ/
US/vˈɪzɪd͡ʒ/
Syllables & stress
vis - age (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (vis)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: visage
- Plural: visages
Word family
Forms
visages
noun
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
invisible
adjective A2
Advanced or less common
visualization
noun B2
visionary
adjective B2
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.