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

While the Cubs are trying to be opportunistic and get creative on a Bregman deal, sources indicated their current budget for baseball operations does not leave much room for the All-Star third baseman. —Sahadev Sharma, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025

Trump’s fans and opportunistic day traders have generated billions of dollars in sales, driven by loyalty, hype, and the chance to make a quick buck. —Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 22 Jan. 2025

The Chiefs have been so opportunistic in the season’s second half that All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, who didn’t have an interception in his first two years, recorded picks in back-to-back games. —Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2025

Minnesota showed them what opportunistic hockey looks like. —Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2025

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