1
as in chameleon
a person who dexterously and expediently changes or adopts opinions ever the opportunist, she immediately set about becoming the incoming administrator's new best friend

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2
as in bottom-feeder
one who does things only for his own benefit and with little regard for right and wrong an opportunist who makes friends and then drops them as soon as they aren't useful anymore

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of opportunist The Jags are equal opportunists in their one-score adventures. Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025 Such disingenuous opportunists should be shunned and condemned. Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025 That liminal space is a perfect breeding ground for pitchmen and opportunists. Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025 The fear Lightfoot had of being perceived as an opportunist, especially by the families, was dispelled. John U. Bacon, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for opportunist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opportunist
Noun
  • The style is the ultimate chameleon — the neutral black hue pairs effortlessly with jeans, skirts, and dresses of all colors.
    Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
  • While a whole generation of moviegoers may have only just discovered this, the veteran character actress has made her name, again and again, as a true chameleon.
    David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Here’s one out-of-the-box name who fits the high-motor description: Tony Vitello, who transformed the University of Tennessee from a bottom-feeder in the Southeastern Conference into perhaps the brashest and most talented program in the country.
    Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Here are some methods for scraping good music from the data wasteland, organized in a hierarchy from bottom-feeder basics to more sophisticated and ultimately, uhh, harebrained strategies.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 31 July 2025
Noun
  • After several moments, the shark managed to wriggle free and return to the ocean unharmed.
    Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Take along snorkel gear—every stop is a chance to swim with sea turtles and even the occasional reef shark.
    Carla Vianna, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Thus the self-seekers and the doctrinaires were drawn together into an alliance to maintain the status quo, and all its abuses and inequalities were made sacrosanct.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2011
Noun
  • The former vice-president’s characterizations of peers such as Pete Buttigieg (talented but too gay for the America to accept as her running mate), and Josh Shapiro (an egoist) are not particularly juicy, but have already caused bad blood.
    Book Marks September 25, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
  • His characters come off as feisty egoists who enjoy sparring and comparing the size of their ambitions.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • His second administration isn't a story about how dirty trails all lead up to one grand schemer, but rather that there’s no scheme at all.
    Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Taylor Momsen, who played the social-climbing schemer across the first four seasons of the teen drama, recently divulged the details of her abrupt exit from the show.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Opportunist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opportunist. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

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