opportunistic
adjective
op·por·tu·nis·tic
ˌä-pər-tü-ˈni-stik 
-tyü-
: taking advantage of opportunities as they arise: such as
a
: exploiting opportunities with little regard to principle (see principle sense 1) or consequences
a politician considered opportunistic
an opportunistic investment
b
: feeding on whatever food is available
opportunistic feeders
opportunistic bears
c
: being or caused by a usually harmless microorganism that can become pathogenic when the host's resistance is impaired
opportunistic infections
opportunistic diseases
Examples of opportunistic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An opportunistic foray to swap Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard has been the one recent major swing, although the 2020 trade that netted Holiday in the first place played a massive role in their championship.
—
The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Hackers are leveraging it to simplify and automate attacks, broadening the threat landscape to include opportunistic criminals who lack the technical expertise to launch sophisticated cyber-attacks on their own.
—Bankim Chandra, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Evolving dietary patterns The study’s findings suggest squirrels might be best classified as opportunistic omnivores based on their willingness to hunt and consume live prey, particularly when there is an abundant supply.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024
Complicating things is a Bucs defense that is not very opportunistic.
—Rick Stroud, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for opportunistic 
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The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Hackers are leveraging it to simplify and automate attacks, broadening the threat landscape to include opportunistic criminals who lack the technical expertise to launch sophisticated cyber-attacks on their own.
—Bankim Chandra, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Evolving dietary patterns The study’s findings suggest squirrels might be best classified as opportunistic omnivores based on their willingness to hunt and consume live prey, particularly when there is an abundant supply.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024
Complicating things is a Bucs defense that is not very opportunistic.
—Rick Stroud, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for opportunistic
Dictionary Entries Near opportunistic
Cite this Entry
“Opportunistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opportunistic. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
opportunistic
noun
op·por·tu·nis·tic
-t(y)ü-ˈnis-tik
: taking advantage of opportunities as they arise: as
a
: exploiting opportunities with little regard to principle or consequences
an opportunistic cheater
b
: feeding on whatever food is available
opportunistic feeders
Medical Definition
opportunistic
adjective
op·por·tu·nist·ic
-t(y)ü-ˈnis-tik
1
: of, relating to, or being a microorganism that is usually harmless but can become pathogenic when the host's resistance to disease is impaired
2
: of, relating to, or being an infection or disease caused by an opportunistic organism
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and other opportunistic infections that kill AIDS patients—New York Times
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