protean

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The internal reasons for Mr. Trump’s decisions on most subjects are protean, his explanations for them confusing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

Like Matisse in old age, drawing from his bed, Frank’s protean creativity, his legacy of mastery is everlasting.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025

In particular, there is a confused, protean nature of conducting operations among a civilian population you are sworn to defend while simultaneously seeking to prevent them from harming you or others.

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2025

It could be said of the protean filmmaker Werner Herzog that he’s presented a monumental and wide-ranging account of himself in the form of over 60 motion pictures.

From New York Times • Dec. 5, 2023

In addition to seeming eternal, ubiquitous, protean, and endlessly quotable, Franklin had the most sophisticated sense of timing among all the prominent statesmen of the revolutionary era.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis