chameleon
Americannoun
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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.
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any of several American lizards capable of changing the color of the skin, especially Anolis carolinensis American chameleon, of the southeastern U.S.
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a changeable, fickle, or inconstant person.
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(initial capital letter) Chamaeleon.
noun
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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
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a changeable or fickle person
Other Word Forms
- chameleon-like adjective
- chameleonic adjective
- chameleonlike adjective
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2012, he returned to politics as leader of Bhumjaithai, a party that has proved something of a political chameleon, joining several government coalitions.
From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026
Not to belabor the reptile references, but Byrne is something of a creative chameleon, moving easily from drama to comedy to horror, film to television to stage and back again.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 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
All three chameleon species displayed optic nerves that were significantly longer and more tightly coiled than those of the other lizards.
From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2025
A chameleon in a relaxed state has iridophore cells that are very close to one another, so the cells reflect short wavelengths of light like blue and green.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
