ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsPprotean
ISEE/SSAThard
protean
Meaning: able to change readily or assume many different forms
protean in a sentence
How protean is used in real sentences:
Her protean talent allowed her to excel in comedy, drama, and music.
The protean organization repeatedly adapted its methods to meet new challenges.
“The completed hall proved protean: movable panels could transform it from a concert chamber into a gallery, workshop, or open-air theater.”
— from the passage The Open Corner
“Meanwhile, the petition proved protean, changing from a request for wages into a broader defense of an officer's duty to challenge unlawful command.”
— from the passage The Officers' Correspondence
Synonyms for protean
Other words for protean — versatile, variable and mutable — carry the same meaning.
- versatile
- variable
- mutable
Antonyms of protean
Words that mean the opposite of protean:
- fixed
- unchanging
- rigid
Where it comes from
From Proteus, a Greek sea god who could change his shape.
Memory hook
PROTEAN recalls PROTEUS, who changed shape and took many forms.