chameleon

American  

[kuh-mee-lee-uhn, -meel-yuhn] / kəˈmi li ən, -ˈmil jən /

noun

chameleons plural

1. any of numerous Old World lizards of the family Chamaeleontidae, characterized by the ability to change the color of their skin, very slow locomotion, and a projectile tongue.

2. any of several American lizards capable of changing the color of the skin, especially Anolis carolinensis American chameleon, of the southeastern U.S.

3. a changeable, fickle, or inconstant person.

4. (initial capital letter) Chamaeleon.

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chameleon British  

/ kəˌmiːlɪˈɒnɪk, kəˈmiːlɪən /

noun

1. any lizard of the family Chamaeleontidae of Africa and Madagascar, having long slender legs, a prehensile tail and tongue, and the ability to change colour

2. a changeable or fickle person

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• chameleon-like
  adjective
• chameleonic
  adjective
• chameleonlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• chameleons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chameleon

1300–50; variant of chamaeleon < Latin < Greek chamailéōn, equivalent to chamaí on the ground, dwarf (akin to humus ) + léōn lion; replacing Middle English camelion < Middle French < Latin, as above

Explanation

Look closely at that branch or leaf — you might be able to spot a chameleon hiding. These little lizards are able to change color and adapt to their backgrounds, blending in to hide from predators. The history of the word chameleon goes back to the Greek word khamaileōn, which meant "lion on the ground," maybe because of the creature’s somewhat scary face, or maybe because the ridge around the creature’s head looks something like a lion’s mane. In Old French it became chaméléon, which stuck. Today there are two acceptable spellings, chameleon and chamaeleon. We often use the word today to refer to a person who is changeable or inconsistent.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chameleon chameleons

The years since the publication of “Hillbilly Elegy” demonstrated that Vance is, at his heart, an opportunist and a chameleon.

From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026

"He is a chameleon," said 1994 World Cup winner Leonardo, who worked with Ancelotti at AC Milan and Paris St-Germain both as a player and as an executive.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

And then there’s literary chameleon Silvia Moreno-Garcia, who slips into a dark and steamy tale steeped in the tropes of James M. Cain, recent Mexican history and telenovelas.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026

David was a political chameleon who nimbly navigated a volatile epoch while remaining an artist of the highest professionalism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025

Right now he was posing as the Egyptian detective assigned to gather information about the museum heist the chameleon himself had pulled off in the first chapter.

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff

On a recent visit, it was hard to decide what was more surreal: the carved statues of snails, chameleons and turtles that decorate the church’s exterior or the circuslike scene around it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

The researchers then investigated how the coils develop in young chameleons.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2025

We view ourselves as chameleons, because we want to be ourselves, but we want to play to the audience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025

Through lockdown we had about 25 animals at home, including meerkats and chameleons.

From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2024

When chameleons change color, they change the way the iridophore cells are organized to affect how light reflects off their skin.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste