kaleidoscope

American  

[kuh-lahy-duh-skohp] / kəˈlaɪ dəˌskoʊp /

noun

• kaleidoscopes
  plural

1. an optical instrument in which bits of glass, held loosely at the end of a rotating tube, are shown in continually changing symmetrical forms by reflection in two or more mirrors set at angles to each other.

2. a continually changing pattern of shapes and colors.

3. a continually shifting pattern, scene, or the like.

   The 1920s were a kaleidoscope of fads and fashions.

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kaleidoscope British  

/ kəˌlaɪdəˈskɒpɪk, kəˈlaɪdəˌskəʊp /

noun

1. an optical toy for producing symmetrical patterns by multiple reflections in inclined mirrors enclosed in a tube. Loose pieces of coloured glass, paper, etc, are placed between transparent plates at the far end of the tube, which is rotated to change the pattern

2. any complex pattern of frequently changing shapes and colours

3. a complicated set of circumstances

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• kaleidoscopic
  adjective
• kaleidoscopically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• kaleidoscopes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kaleidoscope

1817; < Greek kal ( ós ) beautiful + eîdo ( s ) shape + -scope

Explanation

A kaleidoscope is a child's toy, a tube with a series of mirrors at one end that reflect multiple images of colored bits of glass or toys that move, creating constantly-changing images as you turn the tube. The toy kaleidoscope was invented around 1817 by Sir David Brewster. He took the name for his ever-changing picture tube from the Greek words kalos, "beautiful," combined with eidos, "shape." The "scope" part came from the Greek verb skopein, "to look," which can be found in many words referring to looking, including "telescope" and "microscope." The poet Lord Byron broadened the meaning of the word, giving it the sense of a "constantly changing pattern."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kaleidoscope kaleidoscopes

It creates a kaleidoscope of images showing the Sun and the shadow cast on it during the eclipse.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Benjamin Feinberg, foreground, and his wife, Amy, are immersed in a changing kaleidoscope of imagery in the Infinity room.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

In even as short a lifetime as hers, the author writes, it is “like a memory kaleidoscope, shifting and revealing.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Fireworks flared in a kaleidoscope of brilliant colours.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

Her thoughts were suddenly as jumbled as kaleidoscope glass.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

With it, he created LED kaleidoscopes and laser sculptures.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2023

This year the window displays include kaleidoscopes, a toy top that opens and closes and a marble run — a nod, Mr. Winton said, to Mr. John’s famous colorful, sequined costumes and elaborate sets.

From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2022

No wonder these swarms are, evocatively, also called kaleidoscopes.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 1, 2022

His “Photograms” are kaleidoscopes of shape and colour so glorious that the complexity of their composition quickly fades from the mind.

From Economist ● Sep. 27, 2017

Glass cabinets contain beauty-scopes—tiny brass kaleidoscopes clustered by season and year—featuring images of the kingdom's best and brightest courtiers, taken by the Orléans press corps.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton