opportunist

noun

ˌä-pər-ˈtü-nist How to pronounce opportunist (audio)
Definition of opportunistnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Some residents allege illnesses like Ebola are elevated by opportunists trying to profit. — Ope Adetayo, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026 As pressure mounts to identify the gunman, opportunists emerge from every corner, eager to exploit the chaos and dismantle the empire Madam fought to build. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 2 June 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 The Boys – Season 5 (Prime Video) Things have gone from bad to worse in the final season of The Boys, Prime Video’s irreverent superhero satire about America succumbing to charismatic despots and fascistic opportunists. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for opportunist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opportunist
  1. chameleon
  2. bottom-feeder
  3. shark
  4. self-seeker
  5. egotist
  6. egoist
  7. schemer
Noun
  • Along the same vein, a versatile blouse is my favorite fashion chameleon.
    — Jessica Benavides Canepa, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2026
  • Otherwise, any bottom is fair game; the white tank top is a true closet chameleon, pairing well with everything from capris to denim Bermuda shorts and balloon pants.
    — Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 9 July 2026
Definition of chameleon
Noun
  • Notre Dame men's hoops has become a bottom-feeder in the ACC under Micah Shrewsberry, with a losing record in each of his three seasons, and its best players bolted for better NIL opportunities in the spring.
    — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • Use worms fished right on the bottom to entice the subtle-striking bottom-feeders.
    — Chad Mason, Outdoor Life, 3 June 2026
Definition of bottom-feeder
Noun
  • Deaths by toothpick average three per year, slightly less than annual shark attack fatalities.
    — Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2026
  • In 1986, a fiberglass sculpture of a shark plunging headfirst into the roof of an ordinary-looking row house in the English town of Headington appeared as if out of nowhere.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
Definition of shark
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
Definition of self-seeker
Noun
  • Fittingly, the song’s thumping beat is heard twice, real loud, in Rosebush Pruning, Karim Aїnouz’s high-gloss, pitch-dark satire about an American family described by one of its scions as mediocre, vapid egotists, who will never have to work thanks to a large inheritance.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of egotist
Noun
  • The former vice-president’s characterizations of peers such as Pete Buttigieg (talented but too gay for the America to accept as her running mate), and Josh Shapiro (an egoist) are not particularly juicy, but have already caused bad blood.
    — Book Marks September 25, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
  • His characters come off as feisty egoists who enjoy sparring and comparing the size of their ambitions.
    — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 13 May 2025
Definition of egoist
Noun
  • Matt Damon plays Odysseus as a gruff, practical tactician, rather than an energetically inventive and morally dubious schemer.
    — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • The Intrigue, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (July 14) Advertisement For a handsome schemer in Mexico during the 1940s, love and longing may be the best way to an income.
    — Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026
Definition of schemer

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Cite this Entry

“Opportunist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opportunist. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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