Meanings
proverb
alternative a leopard can't change its spots
- One cannot change one's own nature.
The leopard cannot change his spots, old boy.
1918, Johnston McCulley, Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment3 more examples
King.[…]Lyons make Leopards tame. / Mo[wbray]. Yea, but not change his ſpots:
1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 24, column 2Can the Ethiopian change his ſkinne? or the leopard his ſpots?
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 13:23, column 1End now all unkindness. Let us put the Jew to ransom, since the leopard will not change his spots, and a Jew he will continue to be.
1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter II, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 60Synonyms: the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature, the fox may grow grey but never good, you can take the person out of the place, but you can't take the place out of the person
Synonyms & antonyms
proverbOne cannot change one's own nature.
Similar
the wolf may lose his teeth but never his naturethe fox may grow grey but never goodyou can take the person out of the place, but you can't take the place out of the person
Origin
Ultimately from Jeremiah 13:23.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic الطَّبْعُ يَغْلِبُ التَّطَبُّعَ
- الطَّبْعُ يَغْلِبُ التَّطَبُّعَ (aṭ-ṭabʕu yaḡlibu t-taṭabbuʕa)one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Chinese Mandarin 江山易改，本性難移 /江山易改, 本性难移
- 江山易改，本性難移 /江山易改one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- 本性难移 (jiāngshān yì gǎi, běnxìng nán yí)one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Czech starého psa novým kouskům nenaučíš, zvyk je železná košile
- starého psa novým kouskům nenaučíšone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- zvyk je železná košileone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Dutch een vos verliest wel zijn haren, maar niet zijn streken, een vos verliest zijn streken niet
- een vos verliest wel zijn haren, maar niet zijn strekenone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- een vos verliest zijn streken nietone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Estonian küürakat parandab ainult haud
- küürakat parandab ainult haudone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Finnish seepra ei pääse raidoistaan, jäljistään jäniskin tunnetaan
- seepra ei pääse raidoistaanone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- jäljistään jäniskin tunnetaanone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
French chassez le naturel, il revient au galop, on ne se refait pas
- chassez le naturel, il revient au galopone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- on ne se refait pasone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
German die Katze lässt das Mausen nicht, niemand kann aus seiner Haut
- die Katze lässt das Mausen nichtone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- niemand kann aus seiner Hautone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Hungarian kutyából nem lesz szalonna
- kutyából nem lesz szalonnaone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Indonesian rupa boleh berubah, tabiat dibawa mati
- rupa boleh berubah, tabiat dibawa matione cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Irish briseann an dúchas trí shúile an chait, is treise dúchas ná oiliúint
- briseann an dúchas trí shúile an chaitone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- is treise dúchas ná oiliúintone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- ní dhéanfadh an saol capall rása d'asalone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Italian il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio, chi nasce tondo non può morire quadrato
- il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizioone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- chi nasce tondo non può morire quadratoone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Korean 제 버릇 개 못 준다, 제 버릇 개 줄까
- 제 버릇 개 못 준다 (je beoreut gae mot junda)one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- 제 버릇 개 줄까 (je beoreut gae julkka)one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- 개 버릇 남 주나 (gae beoreut nam juna)one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Lithuanian vilku gimęs, vilku ir dvės
- vilku gimęs, vilku ir dvėsone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Malay ججق بوليه دهيلڠکن, بلڠ باݢايمان دهيلڠکن؟, روڤا بوليه دأوبه, طبيعة دباوا ماتي
- ججق بوليه دهيلڠکن, بلڠ باݢايمان دهيلڠکن؟one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- روڤا بوليه دأوبه, طبيعة دباوا ماتيone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- ايکتن بوليه دأوبه, تاکوق باݢايمان دأوبهone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- سوکر اونتوق ملوروسکن ايکور انجيڠone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- ايکور انجيڠ دلوروتone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- تيدق لوروس جوݢone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- jejak boleh dihilangkan, belang bagaimana dihilangkan?one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- rupa boleh diubah, tabiat dibawa matione cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- ikatan boleh diubah, takuk bagaimana diubah?one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- sukar untuk meluruskan ekor anjingone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- ekor anjing dilurut, tidak lurus jugaone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- habis minyak sepasu, ekor anjing diurut tiada lurusone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Persian لا تبدیل لخلق الله
- لا تبدیل لخلق الله (lâ tabdila lexalqe-llah)one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Polish natura ciągnie wilka do lasu
- natura ciągnie wilka do lasuone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Portuguese o leopardo não pode mudar suas manchas, pode o etíope mudar a sua pele ou o leopardo as suas manchas?
- o leopardo não pode mudar suas manchasone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- pode o etíope mudar a sua pele ou o leopardo as suas manchas?one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Romanian lupul își schimbă părul, dar năravul ba
- lupul își schimbă părul, dar năravul baone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Scottish Gaelic an car a bha san t-seana mhaide 's duilich a thoirt às, thèid dualchas an aghaidh nan creag
- an car a bha san t-seana mhaide 's duilich a thoirt àsone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- thèid dualchas an aghaidh nan creagone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- cha chaochail dubh a dhathone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Spanish genio y figura hasta la sepultura, no hay que pedir peras al olmo
- genio y figura hasta la sepulturaone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- no hay que pedir peras al olmoone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- la cabra siempre tira al monteone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- quien nace lechón muere cochinoone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Swedish ränderna går aldrig ur
- ränderna går aldrig urone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Tagalog ang kabayo ay bigyan man ng asukal at tinapay, sapilitang aayawan, humahanap din ng kumpay
- ang kabayo ay bigyan man ng asukal at tinapay, sapilitang aayawan, humahanap din ng kumpayone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Turkish can çıkar huy çıkmaz, huylu huyundan vazgeçmez
- can çıkar huy çıkmazone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- huylu huyundan vazgeçmezone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Ukrainian горбатого могила виправить
- горбатого могила виправить (horbatoho mohyla vypravytʹ)one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Vietnamese ngựa quen đường cũ, giang sơn dễ đổi, bản tính khó dời
- ngựa quen đường cũone cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
- giang sơn dễ đổi, bản tính khó dờione cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Welsh a newidia y llewpard ei frychni?
- a newidia y llewpard ei frychni?one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh
Cite this entry
APA
a leopard cannot change its spots. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20leopard%20cannot%20change%20its%20spots
MLA
“a leopard cannot change its spots.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20leopard%20cannot%20change%20its%20spots. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “a leopard cannot change its spots,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20leopard%20cannot%20change%20its%20spots.
Source: a leopard cannot change its spots on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.