opportunistic

adjective

Definition of opportunisticnext
as in aggressive
attentive to and ready to act on opportunities for personal gain or advancement The opportunistic salesperson was always on the lookout for potential new customers.

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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 opportunistic Whose small, unpredictable steps are at one with a soccer ball, and whose positioning is opportunistic beyond reason. — Filip Bondy, New York Daily News, 22 June 2026 The ongoing National Guard experiment, the report found, has resulted in fewer opportunistic and property crimes. — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 July 2026 Among them were opportunistic pathogens like Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can cause pneumonia, and Serratia ficaria, a cause of respiratory infections. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for opportunistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opportunistic
  1. aggressive
  2. diligent
  3. aspiring
  4. industrious
  5. enterprising
  6. dynamic
Adjective
  • The goal is gentle smoke and indirect heat rather than aggressive flames.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • Right now, the multi-trillion-dollar global apparel industry is undergoing an aggressive technological shift, adopting artificial intelligence as a production standard rather than an experimental pilot.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 2 July 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • Bowen plays the diligent pro golf tour director of public relations and Happy’s kind, caring love interest Virginia Venit.
    — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
  • Now, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue says its diligent job is done, signaling full containment of the fires soon.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 25 June 2026
Definition of diligent
Adjective
  • After graduating, however, the aspiring model yearned for independence and decided to fund her own college education and apartment.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 2 July 2026
  • And yet Webster’s dictionary, and his earlier attempts at spelling reform, expressed a radical desire to forge an entirely new tongue based in the vernacular genius of the aspiring American people.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
Definition of aspiring
Adjective
  • Tuba is currently having a resurgence in Colima, with the drink being sold by industrious street vendors and swanky mixologists alike.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Soon we were both absorbed in the process — two middle-aged people constructing our land art like industrious toddlers.
    — Jancee Dunn, New York Times, 25 June 2026
Definition of industrious
Adjective
  • Their younger son’s back issues are indeed the least of the family’s problems, especially when a deal made with a more enterprising neighboring farmer winds up going bust.
    — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
  • Extending the life of the mission for that long could bring Voyager 1 to its 50-year anniversary, a deadline that’s setting the stage for one of the team’s most enterprising steps yet.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 27 Apr. 2026
Definition of enterprising
Adjective
  • Unlike dynamic stretching, static stretching holds muscles in a lengthened position for an extended period.
    — Hannah Harper, Health, 1 July 2026
  • However, beginning in the late 1950s, advancing spacecraft technology allowed scientists to study planets, moons and smaller bodies up close, revealing worlds far more diverse and dynamic than could be seen through telescopes alone.
    — Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of dynamic

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Cite this Entry

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on opportunistic

Nglish: Translation of opportunistic for Spanish Speakers

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