1
as in chameleons
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-feeders
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
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Recent Examples of opportunists
Straight men are just catching up, vanity-wise, and political opportunists have eagerly fed into their insecurities.
—
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
The exploitation of American history by Beck and the opportunists in his orbit is nothing new.
—Alexis Coe, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
The defense sought to depict the victims as opportunists out for cash, a narrative that didn’t stand up, with the feds pointing out only two of the women were involved in a litany of outstanding lawsuits.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026
Farage has instituted a May 7 deadline for prospective Conservative defectors to officially switch to Reform, warning that his party will not be open to last-minute opportunists seeking to court his growing support base closer to election time.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 26 Jan. 2026
Thousands of players entered the portal this cycle and the sport’s biggest opportunists (and spenders) were active early.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 16 Jan. 2026
Sérgio Lisboa Machado, a co-author of the paper and a professor at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, said mosquitoes are opportunists who don't venture far to find food.
—Dr. Crystal Richards, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2026
The movie follows a group of petty cheats, liars and drunks who are duped by nefarious opportunists who visit their crumbling town.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The sci-fi comedy follows a Paige, Keke Palmer and Naomi Ackie as a crew of boosters (aka professional shoplifters/equal opportunists), who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2025
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
The exploitation of American history by Beck and the opportunists in his orbit is nothing new.
—Alexis Coe, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
The defense sought to depict the victims as opportunists out for cash, a narrative that didn’t stand up, with the feds pointing out only two of the women were involved in a litany of outstanding lawsuits.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026
Farage has instituted a May 7 deadline for prospective Conservative defectors to officially switch to Reform, warning that his party will not be open to last-minute opportunists seeking to court his growing support base closer to election time.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 26 Jan. 2026
Thousands of players entered the portal this cycle and the sport’s biggest opportunists (and spenders) were active early.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 16 Jan. 2026
Sérgio Lisboa Machado, a co-author of the paper and a professor at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, said mosquitoes are opportunists who don't venture far to find food.
—Dr. Crystal Richards, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2026
The movie follows a group of petty cheats, liars and drunks who are duped by nefarious opportunists who visit their crumbling town.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The sci-fi comedy follows a Paige, Keke Palmer and Naomi Ackie as a crew of boosters (aka professional shoplifters/equal opportunists), who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opportunists
Noun
-
Think of this as the way chameleons change color to blend into their surroundings for protection.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
-
In the middle of this spectrum, a trio of mid-career stylistic chameleons and sometime collaborators — Feid, J Balvin, and Bad Bunny — carefully map out intersecting tastes.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
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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
Noun
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But because anybody can edit any page at any time, some editors are chancers or people with an ax to grind who will try to input wrong information.—
Imogen West-Knights,
The Dial,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Two dead sharks were found stranded on North Carolina beaches during Spring Break, and researchers aren’t sure what killed them.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Drugged and dangerous Scientists found cocaine, caffeine and painkillers in sharks around Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Pollution.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Opportunists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opportunists. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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