opportunist

noun op·por·tun·ist \ ˌä-pər-ˈtü-nist , -ˈtyü- \

|Updated on: 21 Jul 2018

Examples: opportunist in a Sentence

Definition of opportunist

: 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

Most burglars are opportunists.

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opportunist

adjective

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See opportunist defined for kids

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 of opportunist from the Web

More opportunist than pioneer, Flynt saw fractures developing in American society and quickly made a home in those widening gaps.

— Cincinnati Enquirer, "Read more from this Project," 13 July 2018
That was something that both Venus’ trans family and my family can agree on, that there are these opportunists who come around and try to capitalize off of Venus.

— rebecca schiller, Billboard, "Venus Xtravaganza's Nephew on Her Legacy: 'She Never Envisioned Herself Becoming a Transgender Martyr'," 25 June 2018
While troopers are aware that stealing is a crime and the criminal is in the wrong, troopers are also aware that criminals are criminals, and criminals are opportunists.

— nicholas rondinone, courant.com, "State Police: Take Your Keys, Lock Your Cars," 31 May 2018
Denizens of the tech landscape are realizing there’s a depressing amount of truth in their embarrassing portrayal on Silicon Valley as soulless, vapid, greedy, socially awkward opportunists.

— adam lashinsky, Fortune, "Silicon Valley's Schizophrenic Feelings," 26 Apr. 2018
But in a country where corruption and malfeasance have already infiltrated the highest levels of politics and business, opportunists are also muscling in on houses of worship.

— Washington Post, "This Brazilian pastor said he was saving souls. Police say he ran a slave-labor ring.," 14 Apr. 2018
Trump and his Republican allies have already painted Sanders as a radical and Warren as an opportunist.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Barack Obama Is Quietly Getting into the 2020 Race," 11 June 2018
On Monday, the defense also tried to cast Constand as an opportunist who baited Cosby by feigning romantic interest in him.

— michael r. sisak, chicagotribune.com, "Bill Cosby's accuser denies framing him, knowing key witness," 16 Apr. 2018
And he was seen as a serial opportunist: an attorney general who hesitated before plunging in on civil rights.

— david m. shribman, BostonGlobe.com, "50 years after RFK’s death, legacy endures," 3 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'opportunist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.