protuberant

adjective

pro·tu·ber·ant prō-ˈtü-b(ə-)rənt

-ˈtyü-

Synonyms of protuberant next

: thrusting out from a surrounding or adjacent surface often as a rounded mass : prominent

protuberant eyes

protuberantly adverb

Examples of protuberant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web His eyesight was failing and his eyes were bloodshot and protuberant. —

Hermione Lee, The New York Review of Books, 21 Sep. 2022 Hours and hours of rubbing abrasive pumice across the roughened marble resulted in the lustrous surfaces of the sculpture, including the high sheen of Pan’s taut chest and ribs, muscular right arm, and protuberant belly. —

William A. Wallace, WSJ, 28 Jan. 2022 Whereas Vaslav’s unorthodox looks infatuated many people, hers (protuberant teeth and lips, stocky body, flat chest, powerful thighs) alienated many. —

Alastair MacAulay, The New York Review of Books, 29 Dec. 2022 And the rear of the case is deeper to accommodate a protuberant rear camera—hinting that the next iPad will see a big camera upgrade. —

David Phelan, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2022 On another branch nearby was an Oustalet’s chameleon the size of a rabbit, rotating one of its protuberant eyeballs in stop-and-start circles. —

Dyan MacHan, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2022 Tourists were free to go to Gibraltar, which is literally a bright spot—an anomalous British territory on a headland on the sunny southern coast of Spain, just over a tenth of the area of Manhattan, most of which is protuberant rock. —

Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 26 May 2021 Bevelled edges flirt with object-ness, making the works seem fat material presentations, protuberant from walls, rather than pictures. —

Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2020 Meanwhile, Angela is carrying on with protuberant tennis pro Tony Parker (Andrew Carter), who becomes the object of lust to both Edith and Angela's gay son, Lance (Tom DeTrinis). —

F. Kathleen Foley, latimes.com, 17 May 2018 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'protuberant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin protuberant-, protuberans, present participle of protuberare to bulge out, from Latin pro- forward + tuber excrescence, swelling; perhaps akin to Latin tumēre to swell — more at thumb entry 1

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of protuberant was in 1646

See more words from the same year