Procrustean bed

American  

Or procrustean bed

noun

1. a plan or scheme to produce uniformity or conformity by arbitrary or violent methods.

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Etymology

Origin of Procrustean bed

After Procrustes, the bandit from Greek mythology who stretched or amputated the limbs of travelers to make them conform to the length of his bed.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Procrustean bed

The wild variety of American life can never be clamped down on the Procrustean bed of a single form of schooling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

To be sure, one lesson of European history is that it’s never a good idea to try to force Europe’s diverse peoples into a one-size-fits-all Procrustean bed.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 31, 2020

There is grandeur in this new view of life, so why force it into the Procrustean bed of nineteenth-century theorizing?

From Scientific American ● Jun. 15, 2019

It’s a modern version of the Procrustean bed, and the people no longer have a say.

From New York Times ● Jun. 28, 2016

At first the grade-system had a Procrustean bed that made it impossible to meet the needs of those below the average and almost as difficult to meet the needs of those above that average.

From The Family and it's Members by Spencer, Anna Garlin