Meaning & use
opportunist
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Meanings
nouncountabledisapproving
A person who quickly takes advantage of any chance for personal gain, with little concern for principle or fairness.
Grammar: Usually critical: he is an opportunist, a political opportunist.
Patterns
- an opportunist in something
Critics called him an opportunist who switched parties just before the election.
The shopkeeper was an opportunist and doubled prices during the storm.
Do not trust an opportunist who only calls when he needs a favor.
nouncountablebiology
An animal or plant that takes advantage of whatever food or conditions are available.
Grammar: Used neutrally in biology: the fox is an opportunist feeder.
Patterns
- an opportunist feeder
The gull is an opportunist and will eat almost anything from a picnic table.
Weeds are opportunists that quickly colonize bare soil.
As an opportunist, the coyote adapts easily to life in the city.
Word forms
| plural | opportunists |
|---|
Common combinations
- political opportunist
- The senator was dismissed as a political opportunist.
- cynical opportunist
- She turned out to be a cynical opportunist.
- shameless opportunist
- Only a shameless opportunist would sell fake cures during a crisis.
- opportunist feeder
- The crow is an opportunist feeder that raids garbage bins.
- labelled an opportunist
- He was labelled an opportunist after taking credit for the team's idea.
Synonyms and how they differ
- profiteer
- Profiteer focuses on making money from a crisis, while opportunist can involve power or status as well.
- exploiter
- Exploiter implies using people unfairly, whereas opportunist stresses seizing any chance.
- chancer
- Chancer is a British informal word for someone who takes risks hoping to get away with it, and sounds more casual.
- adventurer
- Adventurer is often neutral or even positive, unlike the mostly negative opportunist.
Opposites
Word family
- opportunism noun
- the habit of seizing chances for gain
- opportunistic adjective
- taking advantage of chances, sometimes unfairly
- opportunity noun
- a favorable chance
- opportune adjective
- happening at a suitable time
Commonly confused: opportunist or opportunity?
opportunist vs opportunity
An opportunity is a chance, while an opportunist is a person who exploits chances.
Practice
Why was the politician called an opportunist?
Choose one answer.
An opportunist adjusts beliefs or actions to gain advantage. Careful study and refusing risk are not opportunism, and speaking for supporters is not the same as shifting for gain.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “opportunist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.