as in opportunist
one who does things only for his own benefit and with little regard for right and wrong
that bottom-feeder would run over his own mother if it would help him get ahead in his career
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Recent Examples of bottom-feeder
Games against real teams will reveal far more about the Magic’s mindset than any blowout over a bottom-feeder.
—
Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
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
The Mavs dwell among the Western Conference’s bottom-feeders, but no team in either conference presents the sheer volume of storylines as the outfit from Texas’ largest city.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
For nearly the first two decades of their existence, the New Orleans Saints were NFL bottom-feeders.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Chicago is currently mired in a miserable seven-game losing streak, a confounding skid that includes defeats against NBA bottom-feeders like the New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, and Brooklyn Nets.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
The Patriots brutalized their opponent in a way the only other AFC team truly competing for the No. 1 seed did not while facing another NFC East bottom-feeder Sunday night.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
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
The Mavs dwell among the Western Conference’s bottom-feeders, but no team in either conference presents the sheer volume of storylines as the outfit from Texas’ largest city.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
For nearly the first two decades of their existence, the New Orleans Saints were NFL bottom-feeders.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Chicago is currently mired in a miserable seven-game losing streak, a confounding skid that includes defeats against NBA bottom-feeders like the New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, and Brooklyn Nets.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
The Patriots brutalized their opponent in a way the only other AFC team truly competing for the No. 1 seed did not while facing another NFC East bottom-feeder Sunday night.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bottom-feeder
Noun
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Straight men are just catching up, vanity-wise, and political opportunists have eagerly fed into their insecurities.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
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The exploitation of American history by Beck and the opportunists in his orbit is nothing new.—
Alexis Coe,
Vanity Fair,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Researchers are also exploring Greenland shark genetics for clues about aging.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
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Other Notable Discoveries White himself identified four new species — a new skate, ray, deepwater catshark and chimaera — also known as a ghost shark.—
Hanna Wickes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 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
Cite this Entry
“Bottom-feeder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bottom-feeder. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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