Definition of opportunistic
: taking advantage of opportunities as they arise: such asa : exploiting opportunities with little regard to principle (see principle 1) or consequences a politician considered opportunistic an opportunistic investmentb : feeding on whatever food is available opportunistic feeders opportunistic bearsc : being or caused by a usually harmless microorganism that can become pathogenic when the host's resistance is impaired opportunistic infections opportunistic diseases
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Recent Examples of opportunistic from the Web
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Other opportunistic bridal shops have swopped in, offering special discounts to Alfred Angelo customers.
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In many ways, Gore is the perfect archetype of the modern-day climate movement: monotonous, hyperbolic, and opportunistic.
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If the car outside a Hollywood home had been locked, an opportunistic thief probably would not have gotten away with the handgun that was stored in the vehicle’s glove compartment.
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The Milwaukee Brewers are getting a sublime mixture of effective pitching and opportunistic offense these days, with the usual results.
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An opportunistic fan reached over the railling and claimed the ball as a souvenir.
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As the pitching staff limited the Mariners to just four hits, the offense was opportunistic, reliant on the long ball against Mariners rookie Andrew Moore, who was making his second career start.
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Feeding off Gausman’s tempo, the Orioles offense was opportunistic against Tampa Bay starter Alex Cobb, taking a four-run lead by putting base runners on early, moving them over and driving them in with home runs.
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That in mind, the sneaker world is insanely opportunistic, so we'd be shocked if a few of these pairs didn't soon end up on eBay or Grailed.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'opportunistic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of opportunistic
1892
Medical Dictionary
opportunistic
playMedical Definition of opportunistic
1: of, relating to, or being a microorganism that is usually harmless but can become pathogenic when the host's resistance to disease is impaired
2: of, relating to, or being an infection or disease caused by an opportunistic organism Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and other opportunistic infections that kill AIDS patients—New York Times
Learn More about opportunistic
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See words that rhyme with opportunistic Spanish Central: Translation of opportunistic Nglish: Translation of opportunistic for Spanish speakers
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