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 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 When Kahan threw the typically upbeat floral protuberance, Tango obligingly chased after it just like a real dog would. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2024 But mechanical gimbals are not exactly aerodynamic—one example is that massive protuberance on the nose of Predator drones. IEEE Spectrum, 30 Nov. 2011 See All Example Sentences for protuberance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protuberance
Noun
  • Candid family conversations about care preferences, expectations, and limitations are essential to realistic plans rather than relying on abstract financial projections alone.
    Joseph Coughlin, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Indeed, the group appears to almost frolic through their proverbial forest, weaving geometric patterns through one another and among white fabric panels which give depth to Cessa’s projections.
    Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The strapless champagne mermaid gown was classic Old Hollywood glamour, but its exaggerated blade-like protrusion from the bust served as a reminder to the body horror.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2025
  • The domed protrusions act like pixels, creating a ghost pattern of windows on the façade.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Unveiling the bulge–disc structure, AGN feedback, and baryon landscape in a massive spiral galaxy with Mpc-scale radio jets.
    Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
  • By building calcium carbonate cups one on top of another and budding asexually, polyps collectively bulge, branch, ripple and fan out into diverse shapes, including shelves, boulders, pillars, branches and cauliflower-like nubs.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 26 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Many of Elliott’s former co-stars and colleagues showed their support in the comment section of his sad announcement.
    Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Fans were quick to flock to the comment section, offering the pop star words of encouragement.
    Christina Dugan Ramirez, Fox News, 23 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Use the dome light and flashers to make your vehicle more noticeable.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • The works also showcase several techniques that are innovating in horology, such as Longwy enamel on faience and wood micro-marquetry – this year gracing a dome table clock for the first time.
    Carol Besler, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
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
  • The podcast, released in 2014, presented new evidence and led to a swell of interest in the case.
    Christina Morales, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
  • China has been designated a foreign adversary, and President Biden has heavily sanctioned the East Asian country’s electric vehicle exports, among other products, as its global sales swell.
    Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • But market sentiment remains an overhang, according to several analysts.
    Pia Singh, CNBC, 18 Mar. 2025
  • The fate of external overhangs, including trade policy and geopolitics around exports to China, is a guessing game.
    Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 14 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

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

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