opportunism

[op-er-too-niz-uh m, -tyoo-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR opportunism ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the policy or practice, as in politics, business, or one's personal affairs, of adapting actions, decisions, etc., to expediency or effectiveness regardless of the sacrifice of ethical principles.

action or judgment in accordance with this policy.

Origin of opportunism

1865–70; < Italian opportunismo, equivalent to opportun(o) (< Latin opportūnus; see opportune) + -ismo -ism

Related formsop·por·tun·ist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for opportunism

advantage, timeliness, exploitation, opportunity, expedience

Examples from the Web for opportunism

Contemporary Examples of opportunism

Where Rand Paul led, other Republicans followed: some out of conviction, some out of opportunism, and some out of fear.
Why You Shouldn't #StandWithRand
David Frum
March 7, 2013
There have been some truly disgusting displays of opportunism out there.
Conservatives Push Back Against Giffords Coverage
Howard Kurtz
January 9, 2011
So those seeking to turn their opportunism into actual political power should beware their own hubris.
How to Beat the Demagogues
Michael Signer
March 27, 2010
Rather, the most memorable images are often the result of opportunism and the projection powers of one Barack Obama.
Inside the Obama Family PR Machine
Richard Wolffe
April 19, 2009

Historical Examples of opportunism

I have scorned this opportunism all my life, and now I regret having scorned it.
The Daughters of Danaus
Mona Caird
That there may be no opportunism every citizen must be alive to the morality of politics.
Judges and Ruth
Robert A. Watson
No member of my family would ever be guilty of opportunism, and remain in my family.
Angelot
Eleanor Price
For that is just what opportunism wants—to keep these two questions in abeyance.
Anarchism and Socialism
George Plechanoff
Is not this the opportunism of both a Browning and a Gladstone?
Browning and His Century
Helen Archibald Clarke

Word Origin and History for opportunism

"policy of adopting actions to circumstances while holding goals unchanged," 1870, from opportune + -ism. Cf. opportunist.