1
as in chameleon
a person who dexterously and expediently changes or adopts opinions
the kind of temporizer who determines his position on a political issue by taking a look at the polls
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in machinator
one who does things only for his own benefit and with little regard for right and wrong
a lifelong temporizer, he was for the war as long as it was popular and against it the minute the tide of public opinion went the other way
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temporizer
Noun
-
Black trousers are a true wardrobe chameleon, equally at home with bold red outerwear, bohemian layers, or even a bit of leopard print.—
Christina Holevas,
Vogue,
29 Dec. 2025 -
Still, the chameleon actor returned to his TV roots to executive produce and star on Black-ish, Mixed-ish, and Grown-ish as Pops, and came back to Broadway as Donny in the 2022 revival of David Mamet’s American Buffalo.—
Diedre Johnson,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The Mavs dwell among the Western Conference’s bottom-feeders, but no team in either conference presents the sheer volume of storylines as the outfit from Texas’ largest city.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
24 Dec. 2025
-
For nearly the first two decades of their existence, the New Orleans Saints were NFL bottom-feeders.—
Jim Reineking,
USA Today,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
On the other side, the Reverend Al Sharpton, a corpulent, demagogic presence, took up the victims’ cause, and was seen by some as a radical, and by almost everyone as an opportunist.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The movie follows a group of petty cheats, liars and drunks who are duped by nefarious opportunists who visit their crumbling town.—
John Penner,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Authorities in California confirmed last week that 55-year-old Erica Fox died from a shark attack.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Thirty sharks were added, too, before the exhibit opened to the public in April 2003.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Temporizer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temporizer. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
