opportunistic

adjective

Definition of opportunisticnext
as in aggressive
attentive to and ready to act on opportunities for personal gain or advancement The opportunistic salesperson was always on the lookout for potential new customers.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 opportunistic The ranks of the protesters have also swelled to include some more opportunistic looters and agitators. — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 19 Oct. 2026 Nevertheless, authorities believe the original theft was opportunistic rather than commissioned. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Magpies are opportunistic scavengers, incredibly cunning and deceitful and capable of calculated deception. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026 The most common reason that children end up hospitalized from the flu is pneumonia and other respiratory problems, whether from the virus itself or from opportunistic bacteria, Rao said. — Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for opportunistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opportunistic
  1. aggressive
  2. diligent
  3. aspiring
  4. industrious
  5. enterprising
  6. dynamic
Adjective
  • Bam Adebayo wasn’t aggressive enough on the offensive side of the ball, which has been a consistent story line of his nine-year NBA career.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • On a network like this, rule-breaking often isn’t aggressive at all.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • Ever rigorous and diligent, Li creates vivid cradle-to-grave portraits of her two protagonists.
    — Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026
  • On the other hand, a diligent study of the dynamics that got the stock back here can do that.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of diligent
Adjective
  • The film touches on the difficulties of being an aspiring female politician today.
    — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
  • At Osschaert, the audience was transported to a forest with leaves scattered on the ground and turf, entering a dream-like set that centered around a young, aspiring designer’s workshop.
    — Stephy Chung, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of aspiring
Adjective
  • Loosehead Boris Wenger and backrow Joaquin Moro were industrious and both scored tries while fullback Geronimo Piscatelli was a constant attacking threat, scoring one try and missing two others.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Alongside his final-third prowess, Fernandes was industrious across the pitch, playing eight passes into the final third per game, more than any other United player.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of industrious
Adjective
  • As the story goes, Konheim wore one and sent the other 59 to the designer’s Madison Avenue store, where an enterprising security guard took one to his other job at the Metropolitan Opera gift shop.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • From an honorary Founding Father to an enterprising immigrant, the meaning of Columbus to the Americas is diverse and ever-changing.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of enterprising
Adjective
  • As an open source scripting language for building dynamic websites and web apps, PHP has come to be a de facto building block for the Web.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • This capital intensive model forces SpaceX to rely heavily on debt financing or external liquidity to bridge cash deficits, a dynamic analysts warn remains a key drag on market sentiment.
    — , CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of dynamic

Browse Nearby Words

opportunist
opportunistic
opportunists
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Opportunistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opportunistic. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of emissary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All