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

Examples 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 But mechanical gimbals are not exactly aerodynamic—one example is that massive protuberance on the nose of Predator drones. IEEE Spectrum, 30 Nov. 2011 Many of these species are brightly colored and have protuberances and stinging hairs known as setae, that can cause a rash to humans that touch them. Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 2 Oct. 2023 From above, the appendages look like the protuberances of an amoeba. Victoria Sayo Turner, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023 Despite such a distant relationship to the pachycephalosaurs, however, Triopticus independently evolved a very similar noggin, all the way down to spike-like protuberances around the dome. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for protuberance 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protuberance
Noun
  • The case stemmed from a 2018 lawsuit filed by a Swedish investment management firm after a downturn in cryptocurrency profitability caused Nvidia's revenues to miss projections, triggering a 28 percent drop in its stock price.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Others include revisiting budget projections periodically, adjusting the timing of payments, taking stock of inventory or supply chain costs and regularly monitoring invoices.
    Jenn Flynn, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • In the late ’40s, Disney began rolling out a Goofy Everyman series that strove to clean him up, erase his dental protrusions, relegate his teeth to rectangular boxes, and dress him in business clothes, but the redesign just didn’t stick and maybe even read as a little evil.
    Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
  • Breastfeeding-Specific Tips These tips are for people who are breastfeeding and need help with nipple protrusion to make feeding easier:5 Nipple shields: These devices act like a fake nipple, helping the baby latch and gently pulling the nipple outward.
    Brandi Jones, MSN-Ed, Health, 2 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The new image reveals vibrant pink hydrogen gas clouds where new stars are forming, bright blue clusters of young stars, and an older yellow central bulge.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Because of the fluid buildup, a bulge forms in the macula.
    Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Owners of iPhones can turn on software updates in the General section of the Settings app.
    Kif Leswing, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Our astute campaign team tells you who’s up and who’s down and our business and lobbying section is unmatched.
    Bob Cusack, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The 2024 ornament depicts the mosaics and mural at the top of the dome, which many visitors and school groups photograph or admire while laying down on the floor of the rotunda.
    Hope Karnopp, Journal Sentinel, 12 Dec. 2024
  • City officials and project managers on Wednesday provided a tour of construction of the dome so far, which is being funded with $14 million from American Rescue Plan Act grants.
    Dana Afana, Detroit Free Press, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • When the loss function has a convenient mathematical property called convexity, this procedure is guaranteed to find the optimal solution.
    Zachary C. Lipton, IEEE Spectrum, 26 Jan. 2016
  • 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
Noun
  • But while this award was received with a swell of enthusiasm back in West Africa, virtually no one in the U.S. had ever written about him or his family’s astonishing legacy.
    Eliot Stein, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Yet, amid this rising swell, Greenland offers a stark contrast.
    Avery Schuyler Nunn, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • One of the most obvious policy changes that will be enacted by the incoming Trump administration is that the regulatory overhang and headwind that has been an obstacle for crypto entrepreneurs will be significantly addressed.
    Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
  • While fixing the core business is always the first step, even with an improved and efficient insurance business, Markel would still have a valuation overhang in the form of its Ventures business.
    Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 14 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near protuberance

Cite this Entry

“Protuberance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protuberance. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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