opportunist
noun
op·por·tun·ist
ˌä-pər-ˈtü-nist 
-ˈtyü-
: one that is opportunistic or that practices opportunism
a slick, shady, amoral opportunist who has only one desire: to get through life without a day of labor—
Allan Ulrich
Allan UlrichMost burglars are opportunists.
opportunist
adjective
Synonyms
Examples of opportunist in a Sentence
a political opportunist who changed his health-care plan to win the election
ever the opportunist, she immediately set about becoming the incoming administrator's new best friend
Recent Examples on the Web
Rhee noted that such privileges have fed into less favorable views of Korean Americans as spoiled opportunists — fair-weather Koreans who had left the country when things were tough only to return now that the going is good.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
What’s new, though, is his whole narrative, a multipart boardroom saga from the perspective of a developer who was repeatedly cast as a rapacious opportunist.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2024
Whereas Vance, with his previous flip-flops on Trump, comes across as an opportunist, Kelly’s reasons for getting into politics could hardly be more compelling.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 23 July 2024
In clinical conditions such as hospitals, these opportunist pathogens can be life-threatening.
—Laurie Winkless, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for opportunist 
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.
Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
What’s new, though, is his whole narrative, a multipart boardroom saga from the perspective of a developer who was repeatedly cast as a rapacious opportunist.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2024
Whereas Vance, with his previous flip-flops on Trump, comes across as an opportunist, Kelly’s reasons for getting into politics could hardly be more compelling.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 23 July 2024
In clinical conditions such as hospitals, these opportunist pathogens can be life-threatening.
—Laurie Winkless, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for opportunist
Dictionary Entries Near opportunist
Cite this Entry
“Opportunist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opportunist. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
opportunist
noun
op·por·tun·ist
-ˈt(y)ü-nəst
: one that is opportunistic or that practices opportunism
opportunist
adjective
Medical Definition
opportunist
noun
op·por·tun·ist
ˌäp-ər-ˈt(y)ü-nəst
: an opportunistic microorganism
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share