1
as in chameleons
a person who dexterously and expediently changes or adopts opinions
ever the opportunist, she immediately set about becoming the incoming administrator's new best friend
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2
as in bottom-feeders
one who does things only for his own benefit and with little regard for right and wrong
an opportunist who makes friends and then drops them as soon as they aren't useful anymore
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Recent Examples of opportunists
For a quarter century we have been misled by a chorus of neocon war hawks, defense industry profiteers, think tank courtiers and media opportunists.
—
Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
By making his kids stand arm-in-arm on decisions regarding his wealth, Buffett ensures opportunists won’t be able to exploit the family resources.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2024
Rhee noted that such privileges have fed into less favorable views of Korean Americans as spoiled opportunists — fair-weather Koreans who had left the country when things were tough only to return now that the going is good.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
Charlatans, opportunists and disreputable contractors looking to exploit the victims of the storm.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024
Motion sensors will sound the alarm if movement is detected while the bike is locked, and if that doesn't put off would-be opportunists, real-time GPS tracking is included too.
—Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 1 Oct. 2024
Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
By making his kids stand arm-in-arm on decisions regarding his wealth, Buffett ensures opportunists won’t be able to exploit the family resources.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2024
Rhee noted that such privileges have fed into less favorable views of Korean Americans as spoiled opportunists — fair-weather Koreans who had left the country when things were tough only to return now that the going is good.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
Charlatans, opportunists and disreputable contractors looking to exploit the victims of the storm.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024
Motion sensors will sound the alarm if movement is detected while the bike is locked, and if that doesn't put off would-be opportunists, real-time GPS tracking is included too.
—Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 1 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Opportunists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opportunists. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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