protean

adjective pro·te·an \ ˈprō-tē-ən , prō-ˈtē- \

Updated on: 20 Mar 2018

Definition of protean

1 : of or resembling Proteus in having a varied nature or ability to assume different forms

2 : displaying great diversity or variety : versatile

See protean defined for English-language learners

See protean defined for kids

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Examples of protean in a Sentence

a protean actor who is equally comfortable with light comedy and serious drama

Recent Examples of protean from the Web

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. 2018
John Iacovelli's protean set beautifully accommodates the play's various locales.

— f. kathleen foley, latimes.com, "Battered souls line up at the bar in 'The Alamo'," 2 Mar. 2018
Ray Thomas, a founding member of the protean British rock group the Moody Blues, died on Thursday at his home in Surrey, south of London.

— daniel e. slotnik, New York Times, "Ray Thomas, Founding Member of the Moody Blues, Dies at 76," 7 Jan. 2018
To use the journalism word for it, the story is so protean.

— isaac chotiner, Slate Magazine, "New Yorker editor David Remnick on journalism in the era of Trump and the internet.," 2 Oct. 2017
Large, jaunty and seductively arresting, qualities the artist would achieve throughout his protean career, these acrobatic pieces bear another important sign of things to come.

— steven winn, San Francisco Chronicle, "Major Rauschenberg retrospective coming to SFMOMA," 2 Nov. 2017
Michelangelo’s protean talent helped the patrons and pontiffs who admired his work to indulge his dyspeptic nature.

— brenda cronin, WSJ, "Paper Power: At New York’s Met, Michelangelo’s Drawings," 19 Oct. 2017
Liberal democracy too is a protean concept that today needs a considerable amount of clarifying.

— john o'sullivan, National Review, "The Misunderstood Nature of Populism," 14 Oct. 2017
Today’s debate about fiscal union and debt mutualization obscures the fact that the eurozone already has protean versions of both.

— joseph c. sternberg, WSJ, "The Merkel Dream and the Macron Reality," 28 Sep. 2017

These 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.

Did You Know?

Proteus was the original master of disguise. According to Greek mythology, the grizzled old shepherd of Poseidon's sea creatures possessed the gift of prophecy but didn't like to share his knowledge. Proteus would escape those who wanted to question him by changing his shape. The only way to get a straight answer from him was to sneak up behind him during his midday nap and hold onto him (while he frantically changed from shape to shape) until he eventually revealed what he knew. The adjective "protean" describes anyone or anything that is as mutable and adaptable as the mythological shepherd.

First Known Use of protean

1594

protean Synonyms

Synonyms

adaptable, all-around (also all-round), universal, versatile;

Near Antonyms

limited;

amateur, inexperienced;

well-rounded;

able, ace, adept, experienced, expert, masterful, proficient, skilled, skillful;

adjustable, alterable, changeable, elastic, flexible, fluid, malleable, modifiable, plastic, pliable, pliant, supple, variable;

Other Mythology and Folklore Terms

elysian, fay, muse, nimbus, phoenix

PROTEAN Defined for English Language Learners

protean

adjective

Definition of protean for English Language Learners

: able to change into many different forms or able to do many different things

Medical Dictionary

protean

adjective pro·te·an \ ˈprōt-ē-ən, prō-ˈtē- \

medical Definition of protean

: displaying great diversity or variety

a disease with protean clinical manifestations

protean

noun pro·te·an \ ˈprōt-ē-ən \

medical Definition of protean

: any of various insoluble primary protein derivatives that result from a slight modification of the protein molecule especially by the action of water, very dilute acids, or enzymes