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
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
Sérgio Lisboa Machado, a co-author of the paper and a professor at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, said mosquitoes are opportunists who don't venture far to find food.
—Dr. Crystal Richards, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2026
On the other side, the Reverend Al Sharpton, a corpulent, demagogic presence, took up the victims’ cause, and was seen by some as a radical, and by almost everyone as an opportunist.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The movie follows a group of petty cheats, liars and drunks who are duped by nefarious opportunists who visit their crumbling town.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The sci-fi comedy follows a Paige, Keke Palmer and Naomi Ackie as a crew of boosters (aka professional shoplifters/equal opportunists), who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for opportunist
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Dr. Crystal Richards, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2026
On the other side, the Reverend Al Sharpton, a corpulent, demagogic presence, took up the victims’ cause, and was seen by some as a radical, and by almost everyone as an opportunist.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The movie follows a group of petty cheats, liars and drunks who are duped by nefarious opportunists who visit their crumbling town.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The sci-fi comedy follows a Paige, Keke Palmer and Naomi Ackie as a crew of boosters (aka professional shoplifters/equal opportunists), who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for opportunist
Cite this Entry
“Opportunist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opportunist. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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
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