procrustean
adjUK /pɹəʊˈkɹʌsti.ən/
Etymology From Procrustes + -an.
1
Enforcing strict conformity through disregard of individual differences or special circumstances.
- The object in choosing the political capital is average nearness of approach from the various confines of the State; but commerce submits to no such Procrustean laws in selecting her capitals, and consequently she has placed Detroit on the borders of Michigan, […]1862, Anthony Trollope, chapter IX, in North America. […], volume I, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC:
- The concept of an Age of Nationalism is a bit procrustean.2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin, published 2012, page 287:
- Derived terms
- Procrustean assignment, procrustean bed, procrusteanize
- Related terms
- ergonomic, one-size-fits-all