prosopolepsy means a premature opinion or prejudice against a person, formed from external appearance. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
prosopolepsy is pronounced /pɹəˈsəʊpəˌlɛpsi/.
Why “prosopolepsy” is a great word
PROSOPOLEPSY — [Noun] The act of prejudging someone based solely on their facial appearance or countenance. From Ancient Greek πρόσωπον (prósōpon, "face, person") + λῆψις (lêpsis, "taking, seizure"). First attested in 1646. Unlike "prejudice," a broad canopy of preconception, or "physiognomy," the pseudoscience of reading character in features, prosopolepsy is the immediate, reflexive seizure of judgment by a facade. It is the flinch before a scar, the unearned trust bestowed upon a symmetrical smile, the instinctive crossing of the street to avoid eyes that seem too hollow—a silent sentencing passed before a single word is spoken, the oldest human error of mistaking a mask for a map.
noun
- a premature opinion or prejudice against a person, formed from external appearance