temporizer

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

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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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for temporizer
Noun
  • This time, the moment required the Gators (36-4) to become chameleons.
    Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Newsom, who has a reputation for being a political chameleon, didn’t want to get caught in the minority of what is basically an 80-20 issue.
    Caroline Downey, National Review, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • And a lot of them are like the rig shark — smaller bottom-feeders, eaten by larger sharks and humans alike.
    Julie Depenbrock, NPR, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Decades before the memes and punchlines, the Broward native spawned a fictional franchise populated by preposterous oddballs, bottom-feeders and other shadowy denizens of the Sunshine State.
    Mark Gauert, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Trump’s contrived veneer is being ripped away to reveal an immoral, mendacious, transactional opportunist, without a shred of loyalty to anyone or anything but himself.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Photo: Focus Features/Everett Collection A Coen brothers riff on the spy genre, Burn After Reading is filled with self-mythologizing drunks, unskilled opportunists, and borderline morons.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Saya de Malha Bank offers safe haven to an unprecedented biodiversity of seagrass habitats for turtles and breeding grounds for sharks, humpback and blue whales.
    Christian Orozco, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025
  • This elusive shark, previously known only from fish markets, was recorded at depths of over 1,700 feet.
    Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Temporizer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temporizer. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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