PROTRUSION Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'protrusion' different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of protrusion are bulge , projection , and protuberance . While all these words mean "an extension beyond the normal line or surface," protrusion suggests a thrusting out so that the extension seems a deformity. // the bizarre protrusions of a coral reef

Q: When is it sensible to use 'bulge' instead of 'protrusion'?

The meanings of bulge and protrusion largely overlap; however, bulge suggests an expansion caused by internal pressure. // bulges in the tile floor

Q: When is 'projection' a more appropriate choice than 'protrusion'?

The synonyms projection and protrusion are sometimes interchangeable, but projection implies a jutting out especially at a sharp angle. // those projections along the wall are safety hazards

Q: When would 'protuberance' be a good substitute for 'protrusion'?

The words protuberance and protrusion can be used in similar contexts, but protuberance implies a growing or swelling out in rounded form. // a skin disease marked by warty protuberances

protrusion

noun

prō-ˈtrü-zhən

Definition of protrusion next

as in projection

a part that sticks out from the general mass of something the bizarrely shaped protrusions of a coral reef

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word protrusion different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of protrusion are bulge, projection, and protuberance. While all these words mean "an extension beyond the normal line or surface," protrusion suggests a thrusting out so that the extension seems a deformity.

the bizarre protrusions of a coral reef

When is it sensible to use bulge instead of protrusion?

The meanings of bulge and protrusion largely overlap; however, bulge suggests an expansion caused by internal pressure.

bulges in the tile floor

When is projection a more appropriate choice than protrusion?

The synonyms projection and protrusion are sometimes interchangeable, but projection implies a jutting out especially at a sharp angle.

those projections along the wall are safety hazards

When would protuberance be a good substitute for protrusion?

The words protuberance and protrusion can be used in similar contexts, but protuberance implies a growing or swelling out in rounded form.

a skin disease marked by warty protuberances

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 protrusion The precisely contoured shell shape provides a very close fit through the instep, ankles, and heel, but with enough curvature to encompass—rather than crush—bony protrusions. —

Outside Editors, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024 This protrusion, combined with the 12-degree slope of the terrain, means that Odysseus is now gently leaning on the lunar surface at about a 30-degree angle. —

Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2024 These jagged edges made only the smallest protrusions on each side of the vertical slit. —

Fred Bear, Outdoor Life, 6 Apr. 2022 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 See all Example Sentences for protrusion

Recent Examples of Synonyms for protrusion

Noun

Rounding out the team before spring training — and getting closer to the 90-win projections that Cubs manager Craig Counsell talked about last September — will likely involve adding another starting pitcher, more bullpen options and an infielder.

— Patrick Mooney, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
The projection suggests that humanity is far from meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and raises new concerns about the progress of climate change.

— Fernanda González, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2025