kaleidoscope
noun
ka·lei·do·scope
kə-ˈlī-də-ˌskōp 
1
: an instrument containing loose bits of colored material (such as glass or plastic) between two flat plates and two plane mirrors so placed that changes of position of the bits of material are reflected in an endless variety of patterns
2
: something resembling a kaleidoscope: such as
a
: a variegated changing pattern or scene
a kaleidoscope of colors
b
: a succession of changing phases or actions
a kaleidoscope of changing fashions
c
: a diverse collection
Examples of kaleidoscope in a Sentence
The landscape was a kaleidoscope of changing colors.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sometimes circumstance turns the kaleidoscope to reveal another design for living, like the COVID lockdown (Past Lying).
—
Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
To dive into Raja Ampat is to enter a subaquatic kaleidoscope.
—Tristan Rutherford, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026
From Market Street to the Mission, glowing sculptures, Point Cloud’s LED matrix, and shimmering projections turn city streets into open-air galleries in a kaleidoscope of color.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Who knows the reasons for this choice—band dynamics are a psychedelic kaleidoscope of competing imperatives—but whatever the case, by 2003’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Murdoch had been largely restored to creative primacy, on both that record and The Life Pursuit.
—Elizabeth Nelson, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kaleidoscope
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Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
To dive into Raja Ampat is to enter a subaquatic kaleidoscope.
—Tristan Rutherford, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026
From Market Street to the Mission, glowing sculptures, Point Cloud’s LED matrix, and shimmering projections turn city streets into open-air galleries in a kaleidoscope of color.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Who knows the reasons for this choice—band dynamics are a psychedelic kaleidoscope of competing imperatives—but whatever the case, by 2003’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Murdoch had been largely restored to creative primacy, on both that record and The Life Pursuit.
—Elizabeth Nelson, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kaleidoscope
Cite this Entry
“Kaleidoscope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kaleidoscope. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kaleidoscope
noun
ka·lei·do·scope
kə-ˈlīd-ə-ˌskōp
1
: a tube containing loose bits of colored glass or plastic and two mirrors at one end that shows many different patterns as it is turned
2
: a changing pattern or scene
3
: a diverse collection
a kaleidoscope of subjects
Etymology
from Greek kalos "beautiful" and Greek eidos "form, shape" and English -scope
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