polymorphous

adjective

poly·​mor·​phous ˌpä-lē-ˈmȯr-fəs 

: having, assuming, or occurring in various forms, characters, or styles : polymorphic

a polymorphous rash

polymorphous sexuality

polymorphously adverb

Examples of polymorphous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Moreover, there are specific skin reactions that can happen during early summer with the first exposure to ultraviolet radiation, such as polymorphous light eruption (or PMLE), a reaction of sun sensitivity that happens when our skin is not exposed to the sun for long periods of time. —Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 11 June 2024

Goddesses take pleasure in themselves, and a wonderful polymorphous sexuality underlies it all. —Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2024

The songs had accreted parts over decades, with material from Gabriel’s longtime band; from the polymorphous musician Brian Eno; from Swedish and South African choirs; from orchestral arrangements; and from Gabriel’s library of samples and sessions. —Jon Pareles, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023

On her canvases, polymorphous, shape-shifting figures collide and intertwine; heads multiply; limbs get entangled with each other. —Kin Woo, New York Times, 5 July 2023

In the late 1970s Mueller traded on her midnight-movie stardom to become a leading light of New York’s downtown scene at the height of its polymorphous perversity. —Negar Azimi, The New York Review of Books, 30 Mar. 2023

Along with enduring anxious nights underground during aerial warfare, each is shown in his own way to have drawn on more transcendent themes, namely the chthonic mysteries of the English landscape and the polymorphous eroticism of the nude human body. —Richard B. Woodward, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2022

Viewed today, the show’s quirky communitarianism — its idea of America as a polymorphous, all-welcoming dance party — feels like both celebration and requiem for the irreplaceable delight dancing together on a stage. —James Poniewozik, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2020

Generally left-leaning people whose politics were either amorphous or polymorphous appropriated the adjective, too. —Win McCormack, The New Republic, 25 Sep. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Greek polymorphos, from poly- + -morphos -morphous

First Known Use

1754, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing polymorphous

• polymorphous perverse

Rhymes for polymorphous

• isomorphous
• amorphous

Medical Definition

polymorphous

adjective

poly·​mor·​phous -ˈmȯr-fəs 

: having, assuming, or occurring in various forms : polymorphic

polymorphous skin rashes

polymorphously adverb