Dictionary.com

opportunistic

[ op-er-too-nis-tik, -tyoo- ]
/ ˌɒp ər tuˈnɪs tɪk, -tyu- /
Save This Word!

adjective
adhering to a policy of opportunism; practicing opportunism.
Pathology.
  1. (of a microorganism) causing disease only under certain conditions, as when a person's immune system is impaired.
  2. (of a disease or infection) caused by such an organism: Pneumocystis pneumonia is an opportunistic disease that often strikes victims of AIDS.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of opportunistic

First recorded in 1890–95; opportunist + -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM opportunistic

op·por·tun·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbun·op·por·tun·is·tic, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH opportunistic

opportune, opportunistic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use opportunistic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for opportunistic

opportunistic
/ (ˌɒpətjʊˈnɪstɪk) /

adjective
of or characterized by opportunism
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK