Facelessness

/ˈfeɪsləsnəs/ noun

Definition

The quality of lacking a distinctive identity or personality, or being anonymous and impersonal.

Etymology

From 'faceless' (face + -less, suffix meaning without) plus '-ness' (Old English suffix forming abstract nouns). The concept became prominent in 20th-century literature criticizing impersonal bureaucracy.

Kelly Says

The word 'facelessness' exploded in use after industrialization, when people started feeling like cogs in a machine rather than individuals—authors like Kafka and Orwell made this feeling into a powerful literary theme about loss of identity.

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