diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 7a39496e741c244e6998df28fb26b4d1d1afe5fd..f6d4810a7d7f212cf0f66501cf53a35f96fadf89 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -497,6 +497,12 @@ else()
    endif()
 endif()
 
+try_compile( WALBERLA_USE_STD_VARIANT "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}" "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/TestStdVariant.cpp"
+             COMPILE_DEFINITIONS -DWALBERLA_USE_STD_VARIANT ${CMAKE_CXX14_STANDARD_COMPILE_OPTION} )
+if( WALBERLA_USE_STD_VARIANT )
+   message( STATUS "Found std::variant")
+endif()
+
 
 
 ############################################################################################################################
diff --git a/cmake/TestStdVariant.cpp b/cmake/TestStdVariant.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..be98d121ffcfbc96d73948fee5ed67e0f75e8256
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmake/TestStdVariant.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#include <iostream>
+#include <variant>
+
+int main() {
+   std::variant<int,float> a;
+   return 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/core/Variant.h b/src/core/Variant.h
index 6e4d580e4b59ee66dd22abc490cd416931dbe89e..7fe6d195afcacf49b0c1dea05d14edc61d0b408d 100644
--- a/src/core/Variant.h
+++ b/src/core/Variant.h
@@ -22,10 +22,6 @@
 #pragma once
 
 
-#if __cpp_lib_variant
-#define WALBERLA_USE_STD_VARIANT
-#endif
-
 #if defined(WALBERLA_USE_STD_VARIANT)
 #include <variant>
 #else