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
So when some of the powers like France or Spain or England are playing teams that don’t have the exact firepower … to see teams maybe undermanned tactically hang in the match and figure out how to be opportunistic is really (interesting).
—
Gary Bedore
july 2,
Kansas City Star,
2 July 2026
Unemployment remains above 30%, making migrants easy political targets for frustrated communities and opportunistic actors.
—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
1 July 2026
To represent so many things to so many people might seem shallow, if not blithely opportunistic.
—
Jonathon Keats,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
Public safety said foxes are opportunistic scavengers and will enter yards and homes looking for easy meals.
—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for opportunistic
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Gary Bedore
july 2,
Kansas City Star,
2 July 2026
Unemployment remains above 30%, making migrants easy political targets for frustrated communities and opportunistic actors.
—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
1 July 2026
To represent so many things to so many people might seem shallow, if not blithely opportunistic.
—
Jonathon Keats,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
Public safety said foxes are opportunistic scavengers and will enter yards and homes looking for easy meals.
—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for opportunistic
Cite this Entry
“Opportunistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opportunistic. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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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Merriam-Webster unabridged
