How to Use opportunist in a Sentence

opportunist

noun
  • To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool.
    — Ellen McGirt, Fortune, 30 June 2017
  • There have been the opportunists, of course, like Spinal Tap.
    — Melonee Hurt, The Tennessean, 18 July 2025
  • Ever the opportunist, Jones makes a plea to his base.
    — Mia Sato, The Verge, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Sometimes hawks rise above Helm’s whirling bar cloud – opportunists.
    — Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Some of her critics have sought to cast her as an opportunist seeking to bolster her brand.
    — Becky Bohrer, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Apr. 2022
  • Like any good opportunist, Martin found a way to turn the old thing into the next big thing.
    — refinery29.com, 26 June 2018
  • Being an opportunist isn't so bad, after all.
    — Ankit Pathak, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Some of those will be opportunists, others may be true believers.
    — Linda Feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2017
  • The Jags are equal opportunists in their one-score adventures.
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Schoenfeld played opportunist from there inside the crowded six-yard box.
    — Jerry Zgoda, Star Tribune, 25 Oct. 2020
  • Critics see him as an opportunist who never fails to show up amid another tragedy.
    — NBC News, 3 May 2021
  • The man is an opportunist, grabbing any lever of power to keep himself from drowning.
    — Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024
  • With its mild flavor, a single nubbin of tteok is an equal opportunist flavor sponge.
    — Bon Appétit, 24 May 2022
  • These fish are opportunists that feast on a wide array of food depending on what’s available.
    — Outdoor Life, 30 Nov. 2023
  • Take these steps to make sure opportunists don't get the best of you when hiring someone to provide a service.
    — Holly V. Hays, Indianapolis Star, 10 Jan. 2018
  • The press has labeled her an opportunist and a neo-Nazi defender.
    — NBC News, 23 June 2018
  • That, in turn, makes life easier for opportunists such as Mr Pruitt.
    — The Economist, 25 Jan. 2018
  • Instead of catering to racists and opportunists, cater to justice and peace for the family.
    — Jasmyne Cannick and Patrisse Khan-Cullors, The Root, 12 Feb. 2018
  • The tumult did not escape the notice of opportunists elsewhere.
    — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • Palmer amaranth, the ultimate opportunist, now grows in at least 39 states.
    — New York Times, 11 Aug. 2021
  • But, if the agent is a thief or opportunist, the DPOA is a license to steal.
    — Carolyn Rosenblatt, Forbes, 22 June 2021
  • Freelance hunters planning to travel to this region should plan on being opportunists.
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2025
  • The ranks of these provocateurs have grown, bolstered by opportunists and some leftist students.
    — Elaine Ganley, ajc, 3 Apr. 2023
  • What remained were plucky opportunists, including a type of sea-dwelling lizard called an ichthyosaur, which had evolved flippers from land-dwelling feet.
    — Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 15 Mar. 2023
  • That liminal space is a perfect breeding ground for pitchmen and opportunists.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025
  • To this day, Newman sees herself more as a workaholic opportunist who loves her job than as a crusader.
    — Childs Walker, baltimoresun.com, 17 Sep. 2020
  • Isn't this is a guy who is an opportunist and a political hack who goes whichever way the -- whichever way the winds are going?
    — Fox News, 19 Aug. 2018
  • In that hot window of time, she’s been stalked on social media and called an opportunist, a traitor to her race, and a washed-up, has-been actress.
    — Elizabeth Wellington, Philly.com, 19 Apr. 2018
  • But opportunists in a crowd don’t excuse reckless governance.
    — Melissa Derosa, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 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

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'opportunist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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