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
Carter would go on to be exposed as a white supremacist Klan member who once wrote speeches for George Wallace, and whether his literary career was an attempt to distance himself from that, an opportunistic exercise, or some combination of the two remains an unsettled question.
—
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
Understanding Raccoon Behavior Raccoons are opportunistic feeders, chowing down on whatever’s readily available.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2024
The Evolving Threat Landscape: From Espionage To Disruption Gone are the days when cyber threats were primarily the domain of opportunistic hackers looking for a quick profit.
—Francis Dinha, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024
Their cases will face legal defenses that depict the claims as time barred and opportunistic attempts to rewrite rules the former players accepted as conditions of eligibility.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2024
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Keith Phipps, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
Understanding Raccoon Behavior Raccoons are opportunistic feeders, chowing down on whatever’s readily available.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2024
The Evolving Threat Landscape: From Espionage To Disruption Gone are the days when cyber threats were primarily the domain of opportunistic hackers looking for a quick profit.
—Francis Dinha, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024
Their cases will face legal defenses that depict the claims as time barred and opportunistic attempts to rewrite rules the former players accepted as conditions of eligibility.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for opportunistic
Dictionary Entries Near opportunistic
Cite this Entry
“Opportunistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opportunistic. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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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