opportunistic
adjective
op·por·tu·nis·tic
ˌä-pər-tü-ˈni-stik 
-tyü-
: taking advantage of opportunities as they arise: such as
a
: exploiting opportunities with little regard to principle (see principle sense 1) or consequences
a politician considered opportunistic
an opportunistic investment
b
: feeding on whatever food is available
opportunistic feeders
opportunistic bears
c
: being or caused by a usually harmless microorganism that can become pathogenic when the host's resistance is impaired
opportunistic infections
opportunistic diseases
Examples of opportunistic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Soon, the incident snowballs, with phone calls to the school principal, interventions from opportunistic reporters from populist newspapers who fan the flames of the story, and a combative meeting between Jakab and Gyorgy when the former tries to smooth things out with a home visit.
—
Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2023
The juntas that have swept aside the previous regimes have weaponized resentment of Paris’s deep and complicated imperial legacy, much to the opportunistic glee of Russia, which has offered both rhetorical and, in some instances, substantive support to the coup-plotting regimes.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
Despite opportunistic cynicism across the political spectrum, Brookings Institution research on social mobility has continued to show improvements in educational attainment and quality of life across sequential generations of the same family.
—Time, 17 Aug. 2023
As the ongoing response to last week's devastating wildfires ramps up on Maui, the Hawaiian governor has vowed again to work with government officials to prevent residents from falling prey to opportunistic and potentially predatory offers to buy their land.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2023
Within this week, she’s been called corny, a loser, and accused of being opportunistic.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 17 Aug. 2023
Those allegations have fanned long-simmering complaints from Flagship’s detractors—most of them scientists and executives at competing biotech firms—that the firm is self-aggrandizing and opportunistic, and that its reputation for being uniquely innovative isn’t merited.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2023
Despite a gritty six-inning, three-run start from Julio Urías and home runs from Freddie Freeman and J.D. Martinez, the team had suffered from a lack of opportunistic offense and shaky performances from the underbelly of the bullpen.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2023
Both have opportunistic forwards and dynamic midfielders.
—Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2023
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Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2023
The juntas that have swept aside the previous regimes have weaponized resentment of Paris’s deep and complicated imperial legacy, much to the opportunistic glee of Russia, which has offered both rhetorical and, in some instances, substantive support to the coup-plotting regimes.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
Despite opportunistic cynicism across the political spectrum, Brookings Institution research on social mobility has continued to show improvements in educational attainment and quality of life across sequential generations of the same family.
—Time, 17 Aug. 2023
As the ongoing response to last week's devastating wildfires ramps up on Maui, the Hawaiian governor has vowed again to work with government officials to prevent residents from falling prey to opportunistic and potentially predatory offers to buy their land.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2023
Within this week, she’s been called corny, a loser, and accused of being opportunistic.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 17 Aug. 2023
Those allegations have fanned long-simmering complaints from Flagship’s detractors—most of them scientists and executives at competing biotech firms—that the firm is self-aggrandizing and opportunistic, and that its reputation for being uniquely innovative isn’t merited.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2023
Despite a gritty six-inning, three-run start from Julio Urías and home runs from Freddie Freeman and J.D. Martinez, the team had suffered from a lack of opportunistic offense and shaky performances from the underbelly of the bullpen.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2023
Both have opportunistic forwards and dynamic midfielders.
—Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'opportunistic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
First Known Use
1892, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near opportunistic
Cite this Entry
“Opportunistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opportunistic. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
opportunistic
noun
op·por·tu·nis·tic
-t(y)ü-ˈnis-tik
: taking advantage of opportunities as they arise: as
a
: exploiting opportunities with little regard to principle or consequences
an opportunistic cheater
b
: feeding on whatever food is available
opportunistic feeders
Medical Definition
opportunistic
adjective
op·por·tu·nist·ic
-t(y)ü-ˈnis-tik
1
: of, relating to, or being a microorganism that is usually harmless but can become pathogenic when the host's resistance to disease is impaired
2
: of, relating to, or being an infection or disease caused by an opportunistic organism
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and other opportunistic infections that kill AIDS patients—New York Times
New York Times
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