Synonyms of opportunists

opportunists

noun

plural of opportunist

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

• chameleons
• weathercocks
• timeservers
• acrobats
• chancers
• egoists
• egotists
• trimmers
• schemers
• connivers
• self-seekers
• plotters
• temporizers
• machinators

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

• bottom-feeders
• chancers
• sharks
• self-seekers
• egoists
• schemers
• egotists
• connivers
• machinators
• temporizers
• plotters
• leeches
• hangers-on
• egocentrics
• barracuda

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• altruists

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of opportunists

Outside investors demanding asset sales, larger dividends or changes in management were often portrayed as short-term opportunists that are more interested in extracting cash than building enduring businesses. — Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Those opportunists are rumen microbes called methanogens, and their waste product is methane, a notoriously powerful heat-trapping greenhouse gas. — Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 27 July 2026

Even Argentina’s fans could not tell to what extent their team’s support was real or made up of opportunists who had come to see the great man. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

In a review of tap-to-pay cases across the country, CNBC found a mix of low-level opportunists and organized crime rings. — Gabrielle Fonrouge,scott Zamost,anna Gleason, CNBC, 17 July 2026

They are hired hands and stewards of other people’s capital, with no desire to becoming embroiled in internecine squabbles between clashing advocates, parochial activists, and plain opportunists latching on to the moment. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026

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

Some of the backlash is predicated on harmful stereotypes about trans women that portray them as predatory opportunists. — Jenna Norosky, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026