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” ( prosopopoeia ( def. ) ) + agnosia ( def. )

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

Last month Brad Pitt, an actor from movies like "Fight Club" and "Troy," said that while he has not been officially diagnosed, he believes that he has prosopagnosia, a neurological disorder that causes face blindness.

From Salon

It's unclear how many individuals are born with prosopagnosia, as well as how many people develop the condition later in life, including after suffering from a stroke.

From Salon

Face blindness, or prosopagnosia, is an inability to recognize people’s faces.

From Washington Post