Synonym Chooser

How is the word protuberance different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of protuberance are bulge, projection, and protrusion. While all these words mean "an extension beyond the normal line or surface," protuberance implies a growing or swelling out in rounded form.

a skin disease marked by warty protuberances

When is bulge a more appropriate choice than protuberance?

The synonyms bulge and protuberance are sometimes interchangeable, but bulge suggests an expansion caused by internal pressure.

bulges in the tile floor

When could projection be used to replace protuberance?

In some situations, the words projection and protuberance are roughly equivalent. However, projection implies a jutting out especially at a sharp angle.

those projections along the wall are safety hazards

In what contexts can protrusion take the place of protuberance?

The words protrusion and protuberance are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, protrusion suggests a thrusting out so that the extension seems a deformity.

the bizarre protrusions of a coral reef

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of protuberance Whether those protuberances make it onto the production vehicle, the latest of which was just shown at the annual CES tech show in Las Vegas, remains to be seen (and hopefully won’t be seen). William Roberson, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025 There are many different types of foam rollers, but the two main models are: the shorter style with protuberances which is used purely for working on circulation or muscle recovery, and the longer one made of smooth foam without protuberances, used for toning. Enrica Petraglia, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2024 Tiny projections stick out from the stalk, and the crooked tip has structures called a conical protuberance, a globular head and a rugged flap. Katie Cottingham, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Sep. 2024 These extreme eruptions on the sun, if large enough, may be visible as tiny pink protuberances peaking around the edge of the moon. Dean Regas, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024 See All Example Sentences for protuberance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protuberance
Noun
  • That type of context won’t be explicitly included in a projection like this.
    Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
  • How reliable are long-term population projections, and what are the main uncertainties that could change the outlook?
    Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • As per the press release, these included small, circular protrusions or bumps, elliptical protrusions with a fingerprint-like pattern, and a third set of large, round marks.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Their name comes from the unique protrusions on their back that resemble horns and serve as a defense mechanism against predators including other sharks, elephant seals and some large fish.
    Ashley Mackin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Why Nations Care About Longevity Japan’s aging costs, Europe’s silver wave, China’s shrinking workforce, America’s senior tipping point, and Saudi Arabia’s youth bulge all explain why longevity has moved from science experiment to state strategy.
    Sindhya Valloppillil, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Nonic or English pint glasses are of a similar shape but with a bulge an inch or so from the top.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Construction in the section of Jackson Park, often described as Chicago’s equivalent of Central Park, has been slow.
    Christine Valora, The Washington Examiner, 28 Sep. 2025
  • The book is divided into three sections, and each one begins with a character or characters finding a new house, and attaching so much hope to it.
    Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Marriott said the brand plans to expand the Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy to include properties that feature cabins, yurts, domes, eco-lodges, and more.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 30 Sep. 2025
  • While many dome houses are DIY, somewhat hippie-ish affairs, the one at 83 May Hill Road, in Ghent, New York, is a high-end modern home that still shares many of the ecoconscious principles of its handmade counterparts.
    Kim Velsey, Curbed, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Even more interesting is the fact that Noctua is issuing three variants of the cooler with variations in the convexity of the cold plate: a normal, a high-convexity, and a low-convexity model.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 10 June 2024
  • Exploiting mispricing in the 21st century will depend more on understanding the convexity of outcomes not yet visible.
    Jeff Henriksen, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2021
Noun
  • Confidence is also increasing in coastal impacts from a long-period swell from Humberto, the weather service said.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Coraline’s poppy swells and power ballads.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • And while other passive homes from the ’80s and ’90s were often flooded with light, reducing their efficiency, or involved complicated manual shading and cooling features, here the dome’s overhang blocks direct light, so the interiors are bright but don’t bake in the sun.
    Kim Velsey, Curbed, 30 Sep. 2025
  • This lifts an overhang from a deeply out-of-favor and cheap-seeming group.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Protuberance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protuberance. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

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