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
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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
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Recent Examples of opportunists
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
The film’s most powerful scene arrives when Turdugul’s grandmother refuses to sell her property to routine opportunists and laments about a vanishing village that has been slipping through her fingers — an occasion Akynbekov and Kubat approach with an unobtrusive, documentarian aesthetic.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025
Sometimes hawks rise above Helm’s whirling bar cloud – opportunists.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
That sluggish growth deepened religious and ethnic fault lines and allowed political opportunists to foment violence, forcing the authorities to focus on maintaining stability rather than spur economic transformation.
—Amaka Anku, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2025
The Jags are equal opportunists in their one-score adventures.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Such disingenuous opportunists should be shunned and condemned.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
That liminal space is a perfect breeding ground for pitchmen and opportunists.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025
Freelance hunters planning to travel to this region should plan on being opportunists.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2025
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2025
The film’s most powerful scene arrives when Turdugul’s grandmother refuses to sell her property to routine opportunists and laments about a vanishing village that has been slipping through her fingers — an occasion Akynbekov and Kubat approach with an unobtrusive, documentarian aesthetic.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025
Sometimes hawks rise above Helm’s whirling bar cloud – opportunists.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
That sluggish growth deepened religious and ethnic fault lines and allowed political opportunists to foment violence, forcing the authorities to focus on maintaining stability rather than spur economic transformation.
—Amaka Anku, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2025
The Jags are equal opportunists in their one-score adventures.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Such disingenuous opportunists should be shunned and condemned.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
That liminal space is a perfect breeding ground for pitchmen and opportunists.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025
Freelance hunters planning to travel to this region should plan on being opportunists.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opportunists
Noun
-
Today, those invaders have been cleared, and more than 100,000 native saplings have grown into a lush forest cover that’s now home to sunbirds, bulbuls, geckos and chameleons.—
Chris Schalkx,
Vogue,
30 Sep. 2025
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There will be a piñata and crafting, including Lele dolls, carnival masks and pipe cleaner chameleons.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Thirty sharks were added, too, before the exhibit opened to the public in April 2003.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
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Since 1950, sharks have killed 16 people in California, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Opportunists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opportunists. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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