MEANING
Existing in, exhibiting, or developing through several different forms.
Use it for
A specimen that resists a single anatomical model; changing developmental forms; several shapes sharing one identityDescribe the actual range of forms rather than using it as a magical power label.
Words that belong together
- polymorphous organism
- polymorphous growth
- polymorphous structure
On the page
The polymorphous organism could not be classified from one sample.
Each chamber contained a different stage of the polymorphous growth.
The drawings showed a polymorphous structure, not several unrelated creatures.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- polymorphous
Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Formal or technical; variety of form does not automatically imply conscious shapeshifting. More exact than simply strange-looking. Adjective; normally non-gradable; use the base form rather than mechanical -er/-est forms. Equivalent adjectival variant: polymorphic. Derived/related family (not inflections): polymorphism (noun).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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