as in opportunist
one who does things only for his own benefit and with little regard for right and wrong
that bottom-feeder would run over his own mother if it would help him get ahead in his career
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of bottom-feeder
Even Miami was a bottom-feeder until Messi arrived, and even then — yes, after 2024 Supporters’ Shield and 2023 Leagues Cup successes — the club suffered a first-round playoff exit in his first full season.
—
Avi Creditor, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2026
These sharks are thought to be bottom-feeders, preying on fish that frequent the floors of rivers and estuaries.
—John P. Rafferty, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Mar. 2026
Games against real teams will reveal far more about the Magic’s mindset than any blowout over a bottom-feeder.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
The Warriors already might be too far ahead in the standings to catch bottom-feeders like the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers in the race to maximize their draft-lottery odds.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
The Mavs dwell among the Western Conference’s bottom-feeders, but no team in either conference presents the sheer volume of storylines as the outfit from Texas’ largest city.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
For nearly the first two decades of their existence, the New Orleans Saints were NFL bottom-feeders.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Chicago is currently mired in a miserable seven-game losing streak, a confounding skid that includes defeats against NBA bottom-feeders like the New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, and Brooklyn Nets.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
The Patriots brutalized their opponent in a way the only other AFC team truly competing for the No. 1 seed did not while facing another NFC East bottom-feeder Sunday night.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
Avi Creditor, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2026
These sharks are thought to be bottom-feeders, preying on fish that frequent the floors of rivers and estuaries.
—John P. Rafferty, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Mar. 2026
Games against real teams will reveal far more about the Magic’s mindset than any blowout over a bottom-feeder.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
The Warriors already might be too far ahead in the standings to catch bottom-feeders like the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers in the race to maximize their draft-lottery odds.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
The Mavs dwell among the Western Conference’s bottom-feeders, but no team in either conference presents the sheer volume of storylines as the outfit from Texas’ largest city.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
For nearly the first two decades of their existence, the New Orleans Saints were NFL bottom-feeders.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Chicago is currently mired in a miserable seven-game losing streak, a confounding skid that includes defeats against NBA bottom-feeders like the New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, and Brooklyn Nets.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
The Patriots brutalized their opponent in a way the only other AFC team truly competing for the No. 1 seed did not while facing another NFC East bottom-feeder Sunday night.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bottom-feeder
Noun
-
As the focus for finding the gunman intensifies, opportunists seize the chaos as a chance to infiltrate and tear apart the lucrative empire Madam has poured blood, sweat, and tears into building.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
26 May 2026
-
Hepburn was enamored with the high-minded Ferrer, though some saw him as a puppet master and opportunist.—
Hadley Hall Meares,
Vanity Fair,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The biggest distinction between the two species is the dusky shark is leaner and has and has a long upper caudal tail, in which the upper lobe of its tail is longer than the bottom, Chisholm noted.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
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The shark, likely an extinct mako species related to today’s great white, appears to have targeted the whale’s head, possibly attempting to access the fat-rich tissues used in echolocation.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Thus the self-seekers and the doctrinaires were drawn together into an alliance to maintain the status quo, and all its abuses and inequalities were made sacrosanct.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Dec. 2011
Cite this Entry
“Bottom-feeder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottom-feeder. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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