opportunist

noun

ˌä-pər-ˈtü-nist How to pronounce opportunist (audio)
Definition of opportunistnext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of opportunist Some residents allege illnesses like Ebola are elevated by opportunists trying to profit. — Ope Adetayo, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026 They are hired hands and stewards of other people’s capital, with no desire to becoming embroiled in internecine squabbles between clashing advocates, parochial activists, and plain opportunists latching on to the moment. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026 Indeed, once the former’s economic situation forces them to withdraw from hosting duties just four years before kickoff, the opportunist pulls out every unscrupulous trick in the book to thwart the rival bids from, ironically, Canada and USA. — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 10 June 2026 The Boys – Season 5 (Prime Video) Things have gone from bad to worse in the final season of The Boys, Prime Video’s irreverent superhero satire about America succumbing to charismatic despots and fascistic opportunists. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for opportunist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opportunist
  1. chameleon
  2. bottom-feeder
  3. shark
  4. self-seeker
  5. egotist
  6. egoist
  7. schemer
Noun
  • With a chameleon-like ability to look either classic or modern, white quartz countertops fit in a wide variety of kitchens and baths.
    — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 30 June 2026
  • And Banana Republic’s empire-waist maxidress is a wardrobe chameleon.
    — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 27 June 2026
Definition of chameleon
Noun
  • Notre Dame men's hoops has become a bottom-feeder in the ACC under Micah Shrewsberry, with a losing record in each of his three seasons, and its best players bolted for better NIL opportunities in the spring.
    — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • Use worms fished right on the bottom to entice the subtle-striking bottom-feeders.
    — Chad Mason, Outdoor Life, 3 June 2026
Definition of bottom-feeder
Noun
  • Catcher Dalton Rushing held his hand up to his forehead like a shark fin.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Their research helped establish the California Shark Beach Safety Program in 2018, and their work at Torrey Pines specifically has shaped how researchers understand the way environmental conditions affect how sharks use this beach.
    — Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026
Definition of shark
Noun
  • 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
Definition of self-seeker
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
Definition of egotist
Noun
  • 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
  • His characters come off as feisty egoists who enjoy sparring and comparing the size of their ambitions.
    — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 13 May 2025
Definition of egoist
Noun
  • The film is set in a declining industrial city in Northeast China and traces a young man’s search for his father, a small-time schemer who chased quick riches during the freewheeling capitalist surge of the late 1990s and early 2000s in Southern China.
    — Marcus Lim, Variety, 18 June 2026
  • Readers may learn about the Florida aquifer, cowhunters, deadhead logging, old-school conservationists such as Marjory Stoneman Douglas and even Charles Ponzi, the famed schemer.
    — Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of schemer

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Cite this Entry

“Opportunist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opportunist. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of opportunist for Spanish Speakers

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