protean
adjective
, prō-ˈtē-\
Definition of protean
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for protean
Synonyms
adaptable, all-around (also all-round), universal, versatile
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of protean in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Armstrong is played by Ryan Gosling, a Canadian, and his wife, the wonderfully stoical Janet, by Claire Foy, an Englishwoman of protean talent who in a former life used to be The Queen. — Gerard Baker, WSJ, "Hope for the Present in a Reminder of Greatness," 5 Oct. 2018 For one thing, electoral politics is protean: What worked in 2008 and 2012 is almost guaranteed not to work in 2020. — Barton Swaim, WSJ, "Politics: End of the Rainbow," 5 July 2018 Philip Roth, the prolific, protean, and often blackly comic novelist who was a pre-eminent figure in 20th-century literature, died on Tuesday night at a hospital in Manhattan. — New York Times, "Philip Roth, Towering Novelist Who Explored Lust, Jewish Life and America, Dies at 85," 22 May 2018 China’s vast, protean economy is certainly difficult to enumerate. — The Economist, "China’s statistics are bad. Many criticisms of them are worse," 7 July 2018 In a bilateral summit, the German chancellor and French president agreed to work toward some protean form of eurowide fiscal union. — Joseph C. Sternberg, WSJ, "Don’t Count on an Aging Germany to Save the Euro," 21 June 2018 Roth’s output was protean, too wide, too deep and too fervent to truly capture in an appraisal of this length, composed overnight after learning of his death late the previous evening. — New York Times, "Philip Roth, a Born Spellbinder and Peerless Chronicler of Sex and Death," 23 May 2018 In the years since, Assayas has become a critical and art-house favorite, as well as perhaps the most protean and cosmopolitan of working French filmmakers. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "'Cold Water,' Olivier Assayas' brilliant 1994 film, finally arrives in the U.S.," 17 May 2018 Not only do the reedist’s striated, razor-sharp improvisations cut through the din like butter, her slashing, protean playing seems to inspire her partners toward even greater extremes. — Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader, "Punishing improvisation duo Tashi Dorji & Tyler Damon traffics in pure sound," 8 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'protean.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for protean
protean
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of protean
See the full definition for protean in the English Language Learners Dictionary
protean
adjective
\
Medical Definition of protean
(Entry 1 of 2)
protean
noun
\
Medical Definition of protean (Entry 2 of 2)
Comments on protean
What made you want to look up protean? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Original Meanings Quiz
-
- Which of the following is the earliest known sense of the word awe?
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Original Meanings Quiz
A quiz for the pedantic and those annoyed by them!
Take the quiz -
A Green Quiz
How many questions can you answer about the word "green"?
Take the quiz -
Name That Thing
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
Take the quiz -
Bee Cubed
Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.
Play the game
Share protean
Resources for protean