kaleidoscopic
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or created by a kaleidoscope.
-
changing form, pattern, color, etc., in a manner suggesting a kaleidoscope.
-
continually shifting from one set of relations to another; rapidly changing.
the kaleidoscopic events of the past year.
- Synonyms:
- variable, protean, changeable
Other Word Forms
- kaleidoscopically adverb
Etymology
Origin of kaleidoscopic
First recorded in 1840–50; kaleidoscope + -ic
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.
He says his music is influenced by Miles Davis, John Coltrane and James Brown, explaining that he considers his style "kaleidoscopic".
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
Though today he primarily works in the medium of film, Thompson-Hernández has a kaleidoscopic approach to craft.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2026
Mr. Desplechin takes a quick-cutting, kaleidoscopic approach to this domestic epic, and evokes in richly melodramatic style the feeling of passing the holidays with extended family.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025
Bienvenu’s movie, which tackles the realities of climate disaster and technological domination through a kaleidoscopic lens, believes that children deserve to know the truth about the world they’re growing up in.
From Salon • Nov. 5, 2025
The writing was kind of a blinding kaleidoscopic view of my life.
From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos
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.
