as in opportunists
a person who dexterously and expediently changes or adopts opinions
at the summer resort he acquired a reputation as a social chameleon—someone who could be whatever his hosts wanted him to be
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chameleons
In the middle of this spectrum, a trio of mid-career stylistic chameleons and sometime collaborators — Feid, J Balvin, and Bad Bunny — carefully map out intersecting tastes.
—
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
The Kardashian-Jenner clan are known to be quite the hair chameleons, sometimes debuting a new transformation with every outing.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 29 Jan. 2026
Today, those invaders have been cleared, and more than 100,000 native saplings have grown into a lush forest cover that’s now home to sunbirds, bulbuls, geckos and chameleons.
—Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 30 Sep. 2025
There will be a piñata and crafting, including Lele dolls, carnival masks and pipe cleaner chameleons.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2025
This matters because chameleons hunt by ballistically launching their tongues like slingshots, using a tapered bone in their throat as a ramp.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2025
The parallels between salamanders and chameleons indicate that the underlying physics does not depend on rare or exotic tissues.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
Isolated from the African continent, the island has evolved on its own terms, giving rise to wildlife found nowhere else on Earth—like the aye-aye, lemurs, and rare species of chameleons.
—Erina Pinar, Travel + Leisure, 7 Aug. 2025
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
The Kardashian-Jenner clan are known to be quite the hair chameleons, sometimes debuting a new transformation with every outing.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 29 Jan. 2026
Today, those invaders have been cleared, and more than 100,000 native saplings have grown into a lush forest cover that’s now home to sunbirds, bulbuls, geckos and chameleons.
—Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 30 Sep. 2025
There will be a piñata and crafting, including Lele dolls, carnival masks and pipe cleaner chameleons.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2025
This matters because chameleons hunt by ballistically launching their tongues like slingshots, using a tapered bone in their throat as a ramp.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2025
The parallels between salamanders and chameleons indicate that the underlying physics does not depend on rare or exotic tissues.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
Isolated from the African continent, the island has evolved on its own terms, giving rise to wildlife found nowhere else on Earth—like the aye-aye, lemurs, and rare species of chameleons.
—Erina Pinar, Travel + Leisure, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chameleons
Noun
-
Some of those pushing anti-Jewish invective on the right are opportunists.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2026
-
During her opening statement on Tuesday, defense lawyer Teny Geragos sought to cast the women who have come forward against the Alexander brothers as being opportunists motivated by money.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Niu comes from a family of performing acrobats.—
Alanis Thames,
Twin Cities,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The lifelong acrobats wondered how exactly circus performers managed to pose midair, suspended only by their hair.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Clean your trimmers with rubbing alcohol to help prevent pathogens from spreading to the plant.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Flat irons, curling wands, hair dryers, and beard trimmers are also often found sprawled across bathroom counters, especially during busy mornings.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chameleons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chameleons. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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