1
as in chameleon
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
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2
as in bottom-feeder
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of opportunist
Sérgio Lisboa Machado, a co-author of the paper and a professor at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, said mosquitoes are opportunists who don't venture far to find food.
—
Dr. Crystal Richards, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2026
On the other side, the Reverend Al Sharpton, a corpulent, demagogic presence, took up the victims’ cause, and was seen by some as a radical, and by almost everyone as an opportunist.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The movie follows a group of petty cheats, liars and drunks who are duped by nefarious opportunists who visit their crumbling town.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for opportunist
Dr. Crystal Richards, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2026
On the other side, the Reverend Al Sharpton, a corpulent, demagogic presence, took up the victims’ cause, and was seen by some as a radical, and by almost everyone as an opportunist.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The movie follows a group of petty cheats, liars and drunks who are duped by nefarious opportunists who visit their crumbling town.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for opportunist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opportunist
Noun
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Ever a beauty chameleon, Kardashian debuted new bangs during the big game, which saw the Seattle Seahawks compete against the New England Patriots for the Vince Lombardi trophy.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
8 Feb. 2026
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Melling is something of a rarity among movie actors, a distinctive-looking chameleon.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Warriors already might be too far ahead in the standings to catch bottom-feeders like the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers in the race to maximize their draft-lottery odds.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Tomlin wasn’t taking a bottom-feeder job.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Twin Isle, from Shirley’s Trini Cuisine chef Janelle Romeo, makes customizable bowls, roti wraps, bake-and-shark and oxtail fries.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
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Anyone who has seen a shark fin break the water and then disappear knows this is not reassuring.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Thus the self-seekers and the doctrinaires were drawn together into an alliance to maintain the status quo, and all its abuses and inequalities were made sacrosanct.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Dec. 2011
Noun
-
Fittingly, the song’s thumping beat is heard twice, real loud, in Rosebush Pruning, Karim Aїnouz’s high-gloss, pitch-dark satire about an American family described by one of its scions as mediocre, vapid egotists, who will never have to work thanks to a large inheritance.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The former vice-president’s characterizations of peers such as Pete Buttigieg (talented but too gay for the America to accept as her running mate), and Josh Shapiro (an egoist) are not particularly juicy, but have already caused bad blood.—
Book Marks
September 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
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His characters come off as feisty egoists who enjoy sparring and comparing the size of their ambitions.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
13 May 2025
Noun
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Layups for the quarterback Roman did not do enough as a schemer and play caller to provide easy completions for Herbert.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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Also in the mix were Dogbert, a maniacal schemer, and Catbert, the ruthless head of HR.—
Chris Koseluk,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Opportunist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opportunist. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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