Definition of "protean" [pro•te•an]

• Readily taking on varied shapes, forms, or meanings. (adjective)
• Exhibiting considerable variety or diversity: "He loved to show off his protean talent” ( William A. Henry III). (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The borders of this new world will remain protean, subject to change over time."
• ""Inordinately protean" is really just a way of saying that a book like Moby-Dick is always worth reading and re-reading, that readers 'experiences of the novel are always going to be productively various."
• "It then simply resolves itself into one of those exceptional instances of what is called a protean form."