I. prōˈkrəstēən adjective
Usage: often capitalized
Etymology: Procrustes (from Latin, from Greek Prokroustēs ), legendary robber of ancient Greece who forced his victims to fit a certain bed by stretching or lopping off their legs + English -an
1. : of, relating to, or typical of Procrustes
the procrustean legend
Procrustean reasoning — Nathaniel Peffer
procrustean determination to make the evidence fit the theory — Walter Lippmann
2. : that is marked by complete disregard of individual differences or special circumstances and that arbitrarily often ruthlessly or violently forces into conformity with or subservience to something (as a system, policy, doctrine)
procrustean methods
procrustean techniques
procrustean legislation — Wall Street Journal
II. noun
( -s )
Usage: often capitalized
: one that is procrustean (as in actions, methods)