1
as in chameleon
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-feeder
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 opportunist
With the landscape so distorted by the high rollers and opportunists, many displaced by the Palisades fire don’t even stand a chance on the West Side.
—
Bridget Read, Curbed, 15 Jan. 2025
The higher-than-average incomes of people forced to leave their homes there appear to have tempted opportunists, who see a chance to make money from others' misery.
—CBS News, 12 Jan. 2025
While opportunist conservatives frame trans participation in sports as an urgent issue, transgender athletes make up less than half of 1 percent of high school competitors.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Bootleg merch and non-commercial use Riles & Company has been known to aggressively defend its trademarks by taking legal action against opportunist entrepreneurs hawking unauthorized three-peat products.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for opportunist
Bridget Read, Curbed, 15 Jan. 2025
The higher-than-average incomes of people forced to leave their homes there appear to have tempted opportunists, who see a chance to make money from others' misery.
—CBS News, 12 Jan. 2025
While opportunist conservatives frame trans participation in sports as an urgent issue, transgender athletes make up less than half of 1 percent of high school competitors.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Bootleg merch and non-commercial use Riles & Company has been known to aggressively defend its trademarks by taking legal action against opportunist entrepreneurs hawking unauthorized three-peat products.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for opportunist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opportunist
Noun
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Like a chameleon, the 5-foot-6 senior has the uncanny ability to adapt to any opponent, game situation or even time of year.—
Steve Reaven,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
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But for this reporter — who couldn’t even tell you what a running back does — this was also the year that Barkley developed his sense of style as a fashion chameleon.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Decades before the memes and punchlines, the Broward native spawned a fictional franchise populated by preposterous oddballs, bottom-feeders and other shadowy denizens of the Sunshine State.—
Mark Gauert,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2025
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Since winning at Boise State on Jan. 4 and blowing out Air Force at home four days later, the season had become a grind – a double-digit loss at New Mexico, a rare home loss against UNLV, a string of ugly wins against the Mountain West’s bottom-feeders after overcoming dangerously large deficits.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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After three days, the search for an Australian fisherman who was pulled into the ocean by a shark has been suspended.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
25 Feb. 2025
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Over the past 20 years, global demand for shark and ray meat has nearly doubled, now surpassing the value of the shark fin trade by 1.7 times.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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At times, egoists can approach absurdity and drag their countries into outright disaster.—
Daniel Byman,
Foreign Affairs,
15 Oct. 2019
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McCarthy’s difficulties highlighted the power of hard-right extremists and social-media egoists among the fragile Republican majority in the House.—
Steve Coll,
The New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Opportunist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opportunist. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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