opportunistic

adjective

op·​por·​tu·​nis·​tic ˌä-pər-tü-ˈni-stik 

-tyü-

: taking advantage of opportunities as they arise: such as

a

: exploiting opportunities with little regard to principle (see principle sense 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

opportunistically

ˌä-pər-tü-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē 

-tyü-

adverb

Examples of opportunistic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As for Fox One, Murdoch said that the World Cup drove incremental subscriber growth, and that the company will continue to be opportunistic to grow that sub base. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026

United was more opportunistic, however, outshooting SDFC 15-13 and finishing with more shots on goal (8) than SDFC (2). — San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2026

Charming Venus in Libra will also bring harmony to your friendships and community, supporting opportunistic introductions and meet-cutes. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026

Lukas Nmecha was opportunistic in his long-range, low shot which caught Melker Ellborg out, but Wilson and young Callum Mills struggled to get much going in the first half. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

opportunist + -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for opportunistic

• anachronistic
• animalistic
• antagonistic
• antiphlogistic
• behavioristic
• cannibalistic
• capitalistic
• characteristic
• collectivistic
• deterministic
• ethnolinguistic
• expressionistic

Kids Definition

opportunistic

noun

op·​por·​tu·​nis·​tic -t(y)ü-ˈnis-tik 

: taking advantage of opportunities as they arise: as

a

: exploiting opportunities with little regard to principle or consequences

an opportunistic cheater

b

: feeding on whatever food is available

opportunistic feeders

Medical Definition

opportunistic

adjective

op·​por·​tu·​nist·​ic -t(y)ü-ˈnis-tik 

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