1
as in chameleon
a person who dexterously and expediently changes or adopts opinions ever the opportunist, she immediately set about becoming the incoming administrator's new best friend

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2
as in bottom-feeder
one who does things only for his own benefit and with little regard for right and wrong an opportunist who makes friends and then drops them as soon as they aren't useful anymore

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of opportunist His opponent, the cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder, had spent a staggering $13 million on his campaign, much of it on negative ads casting Giuliani as a glory-seeking political opportunist. Jonathan Mahler, Curbed, 1 Aug. 2025 The mayor’s supporters in turn have accused the critics, including Republican Councilor Shamar Mahon, of being obstructionists and political opportunists. Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2025 Furthermore, the only people that were really threatened by the dinosaurs was a family, a few villagers and the crew, which included formulaic opportunists looking to make a quick buck. Jan Wagner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 July 2025 Meanwhile, the opportunists have used Reeves’ likeness in a variety of ways. Martha Ross, Mercury News, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for opportunist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opportunist
Noun
  • That’s French fashion historian Olivier Saillard speaking about Tilda Swinton, a chameleon in acting, fashion and more who is getting her own exhibition this fall at the Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam, alongside screenings, performances and live conversations.
    Miles Socha, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2025
  • These wardrobe chameleons can easily transition from a casual day look to an evening out.
    Christina Holevas, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Here are some methods for scraping good music from the data wasteland, organized in a hierarchy from bottom-feeder basics to more sophisticated and ultimately, uhh, harebrained strategies.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 31 July 2025
  • With the July 31 trade deadline only two weeks beyond the Atlanta All-Star Game, contenders and would-be contenders are eying the rosters of bottom-feeders to fill the few holes on their rosters.
    Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • With a mission to rebuild abundant and biodiverse oceans, Oceana fights to stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, as well as the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, among other causes.
    Angelique Jackson, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Activities like spearfishing can attract sharks and increase the odds of unprovoked attacks.
    David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • 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
Noun
  • His characters come off as feisty egoists who enjoy sparring and comparing the size of their ambitions.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 13 May 2025
  • The adage about egoists who want to be the bride at every wedding proved literally true.
    Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 9 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Opportunist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opportunist. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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