opportunistic

adjective op·por·tu·nis·tic \ ˌä-pər-tü-ˈni-stik , -tyü- \

|Updated on: 24 Jun 2018

Definition of opportunistic

: taking advantage of opportunities as they arise: such as

a : exploiting opportunities with little regard to principle (see principle 1) or consequences

a politician considered opportunistic

an opportunistic investment

b : feeding on whatever food is available

opportunistic feeders

opportunistic bears

c : 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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opportunistically

play \ˌä-pər-tü-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē, -tyü-\ adverb

Recent Examples of opportunistic from the Web

In that case, the pathogens would be opportunistic, not causal, sneaking across the blood-brain barrier and taking up residence only after Alzheimer’s has developed.

— sharon begley, STAT, "New study supports long-dismissed idea: Herpes viruses could play role in Alzheimer’s," 21 June 2018
To others, her charges seemed opportunistic and a rush to judgment.

— ian duncan, baltimoresun.com, "Freddie Gray case roils prosecutor election — but not the one in Baltimore," 17 June 2018
There was no magic formula for breaking through; the asset-management industry is very opportunistic and objectively measured.

— chuck jaffe, WSJ, "A Star Bond-Fund Manager Avoids the Shortcuts," 6 May 2018
But far from a calculating genius, Putin is more properly seen as an opportunistic and reckless gambler.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "A Cold War Without Guard Rails," 10 Apr. 2018
An opportunistic defense and good special teams that can provide field position will be plusses.

— mary kay cabot, cleveland.com, "Will the Browns pursue Terrelle Pryor in free agency? Hey, Mary Kay!," 18 Feb. 2018
Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter The first stage of human interaction with fire, perhaps as early as 1.5 million years ago in Africa, is likely to have been opportunistic.

— andrew c. scott, Time, "When Did Humans Discover Fire? The Answer Depends on What You Mean By 'Discover'," 1 June 2018
Equal parts patient and opportunistic, Smith never gave up on the race even though all seemed lost.

— dan wolken, USA TODAY, "Even nearing end of his career, Mike Smith is the jockey everyone wants in big races," 2 May 2018
Blankenship’s charge that Morrisey was insincere and opportunistic did plenty of damage to the candidate who was once presumed to have captured the Trumpian insurgent vote in a state where Trumpian insurgents are many.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Ready to rumble in West Virginia," 1 May 2018

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.