opportunist
Americannoun
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of opportunist
First recorded in 1865–70; opportun(ism) ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )
Explanation
Opportunists are people who see a chance to gain some advantage from a situation, often at the expense of ethics or morals. An opportunist seizes every opportunity to improve things for himself. Say you won millions in the lottery. People would come out of the woodwork hoping to get their hands on some of it. These people act as if they are close friends. But they are not; they are opportunists. Famous opportunists include “carpetbaggers,” Northern opportunists who, after the American Civil War, poured into the South to turn Reconstruction into personal financial gains.
Vocabulary lists containing opportunist
100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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The Underground Railroad
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
An opportunist goal by Soumare on 54 minutes gave Le Havre a 2-1 home win over Strasbourg in Ligue 1.
From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026
She may be a conniving opportunist; she may be an abused and desperate woman simply hoping for a better life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026
In “Werckmeister Harmonies,” another opportunist visits another desperate town, this time accompanying a traveling exhibit of a preserved whale.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026
Dr Shakoor told officers there was a problem with the door's lock, which prompted the police to consider an opportunist burglar.
From BBC • May 21, 2025
Now she was the subject of many da-zi-bao calling her an opportunist, a black executioner, a corruptor of the young.
From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
