protuberant

[ proh-too-ber-uhnt, -tyoo-, pruh- ]

adjective

1. bulging out beyond the surrounding surface; protruding; projecting:

   protuberant eyes.

protuberant

/ prəˈtjuːbərənt /

adjective

1. swelling out from the surrounding surface; bulging

Derived Forms

• proˈtuberantly, adverb
• proˈtuberance, noun

Other Words From

• pro·tuber·ant·ly adverb
• nonpro·tuber·ant adjective
• nonpro·tuber·ant·ly adverb
• unpro·tuber·ant adjective
• unpro·tuber·ant·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of protuberant¹

1640–50; < Late Latin prōtūberant- (stem of prōtūberāns ), present participle of prōtūberāre to swell. See pro- ¹, tuber ¹, -ant

Word History and Origins

Origin of protuberant¹

C17: from Late Latin prōtūberāre to swell, from pro- ¹+ tūber swelling

Example Sentences

He wrote that Carl Yastrzemski, “like so many great hitters, has oddly protuberant eyes.”

From New York Times

In the eyes — eyes squinting with suspicion when not protuberant with anger — of those currently setting the GOP’s tone, Ryan’s invocation of Reagan is distasteful.

From Washington Post

She had described a man as having “a beer gut that belongs in the Smithsonian”; that was changed, she laments, to “protuberant abdomen.”

From New York Times

He has a long face and long, wavy brown hair parted at the crest; his chin is protuberant and cratered by a dimple the size of Chicxulub.

From The New Yorker

Mr. Curtain’s reflective glasses and protuberant nose eased toward Sticky’s face like a snake testing the air.

From Literature

Related Words

• asymmetrical
• craggy
• elliptical
• jagged
• lumpy
• unbalanced