prosopagnosia

[ proh-soh-pag-noh-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh, prahs-uh- ]

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.

prosopagnosia

/ ˌprɒsəpæɡˈnəʊszɪə /

noun

1. an inability to recognize faces

Word History and Origins

Origin of prosopagnosia¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of prosopagnosia¹

C20: from Greek prosōpon face + agnosia

Example Sentences

For instance, part of my autism, I have prosopagnosia, which makes it difficult for me to recognize individual faces.

From Salon

Studies suggest up to 2.5 percent of the population has “developmental prosopagnosia” — that is, they’ve had it since birth, Postal says.

From Washington Post

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

From Washington Post

The lab has developed a training approach focused on memory to improve “face encoding strategies to enhance face recollection,” DeGutis says, because those with prosopagnosia typically lack “the ability to automatically recall semantic and contextual details when they see a face, although they may have a vague feeling of knowing.”

From Washington Post

Prosopagnosia sufferers deal with significant practical and social difficulties.

From Washington Post