opportunistic

[ op-er-too-nis-tik, -tyoo- ]
See synonyms for opportunistic on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. adhering to a policy of opportunism; practicing opportunism.

  2. Pathology.

    • (of a microorganism) causing disease only under certain conditions, as when a person's immune system is impaired.

    • (of a disease or infection) caused by such an organism: Pneumocystis pneumonia is an opportunistic disease that often strikes victims of AIDS.

Origin of opportunistic

1
First recorded in 1890–95; opportunist + -ic

Other words from opportunistic

  • op·por·tun·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb
  • un·op·por·tun·is·tic, adjective

Words that may be confused with opportunistic

Words Nearby opportunistic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use opportunistic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for opportunistic

opportunistic

/ (ˌɒpətjʊˈnɪstɪk) /


adjective
  1. of or characterized by opportunism

  2. med (of an infection) caused by any microorganism that is harmless to a healthy person but debilitates a person whose immune system has been weakened by disease or drug treatment

Derived forms of opportunistic

  • opportunistically, adverb

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