1. a person who practices phrenology, the study of skull shape and size to determine character and mental abilities
Usage: historical; now considered pseudoscience

Examples

• In the 19th century, phrenologists claimed they could read a person's personality by examining the bumps on their head.
• The phrenologist measured the patient's skull with calipers and made detailed notes.
• Modern scientists reject the theories that phrenologists once promoted.
• A famous phrenologist of the 1800s toured Europe giving public lectures on skull analysis.
• The museum displayed instruments that phrenologists used in their practice.