procrustean

adjective

pro·​crus·​te·​an prə-ˈkrə-stē-ən 

prō-

often capitalized

1

: of, relating to, or typical of Procrustes

2

: marked by arbitrary often ruthless disregard of individual differences or special circumstances

Did you know?

Procrustes was one of many villains defeated by the Greek hero Theseus. According to Greek mythology, Procrustes was a robber who killed his victims in a most cruel and unusual way. He made them lie on an iron bed and would force them to fit the bed by cutting off the parts that hung off the ends or by stretching those people who were too short. Something Procrustean, therefore, takes no account of individual differences but cruelly and mercilessly makes everything the same. And a "procrustean bed" is a scheme or pattern into which someone or something is arbitrarily forced.

Examples of procrustean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But this is the age of binge-watching, and directors need to make fewer procrustean compromises to runtime now. —Anthony Paletta, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025

Everything made sense, and the procrustean constraints of gender fell away. —Laura Hudson, Wired, 16 Nov. 2021

What was really at issue were European America’s procrustean racial ideas and policies. —Damion Searls, Harper's magazine, 10 May 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing procrustean

• procrustean bed

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