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
After three grueling weeks of racing, GC teams like UAE Team Emirates and INEOS Grenadiers will likely play it safe, while opportunistic squads go hunting for one last stage win.
—
Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 July 2025
This scam text industry is opportunistic and does not target users based on nay prior or relevant data.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Jones, though, made an opportunistic play that should have the coaching staff and the front office feeling good about his football IQ.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2025
More scandalous than Aster’s omission of a questionable election is the film’s opportunistic George Floyd analogy of racial unrest.
—Armond White, National Review, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for opportunistic
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Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 July 2025
This scam text industry is opportunistic and does not target users based on nay prior or relevant data.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Jones, though, made an opportunistic play that should have the coaching staff and the front office feeling good about his football IQ.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2025
More scandalous than Aster’s omission of a questionable election is the film’s opportunistic George Floyd analogy of racial unrest.
—Armond White, National Review, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for opportunistic
Cite this Entry
“Opportunistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opportunistic. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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