broadfaced

Broadfaced is an adjective used to describe a face that is wide across the cheekbones and jaw relative to its vertical height. The term is typically descriptive and qualitative, and it is most often encountered in fields that discuss facial morphology, anthropology, anatomy, or general descriptive writing. It is not a precise medical or scientific diagnosis, and when used in research, it is usually followed by measurements or more specific descriptors such as facial width, bizygomatic width, or facial index.

In human contexts, broad-faced describes variability in facial shape among individuals and populations. Because facial width varies with age, sex, body size, and ethnicity, the term is inherently relative and subjective. In scholarly work, researchers usually supplement descriptive terms with quantitative measurements to avoid ambiguity.

In zoological and veterinary contexts, broad-faced can describe animals with a visibly wide facial region. This characteristic can relate to skull structure, feeding mechanics, or visual appearance and may be noted in species descriptions, breed standards, or anatomical studies. The term is generally used descriptively rather than diagnostically and is chosen for its visual clarity.

Overall, broadfaced functions as a concise, non-technical descriptor of facial width. Because it is subjective, its use is most appropriate in descriptive writing and should be complemented with objective measurements when precision is required. See also facial morphology and craniometry.