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

opportunistically

ˌä-pər-tü-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē 

-tyü-

adverb

Examples of opportunistic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the Oilers were equal parts tenacious, opportunistic and creative to capitalize offensively. —Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 15 Dec. 2024

Salmon populations are down, and even though belugas are opportunistic feeders, other fish, or even smaller salmon, don’t provide the calorie density to make up for the energy spent hunting them. —Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024

Trump supporters see the fund as an opportunistic reflection of Trump winning the election and following through on his promises to resist DEI initiatives. —Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 11 Dec. 2024

Trump’s grand ambitions and his transactional approach to foreign policy are surprisingly well suited to today’s Middle East, where regime interests and opportunistic investments are the lingua franca. —Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

opportunist + -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Kids 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