1
as in chameleon
a person who dexterously and expediently changes or adopts opinions
ever the opportunist, she immediately set about becoming the incoming administrator's new best friend
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2
as in bottom-feeder
one who does things only for his own benefit and with little regard for right and wrong
an opportunist who makes friends and then drops them as soon as they aren't useful anymore
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of opportunist
At the top, the national MAGA movement was full of opportunists, mostly male, some of whom had been polished by Ivy League degrees: J. D. Vance, Josh Hawley, Ron DeSantis, Trump himself.
—
Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Retail stores could also benefit from adding another dimension to product displays or checkout desks, though the device doesn't come with a lock slot for easy security so store owners will have to get inventive or risk opportunist theft.
—New Atlas, 12 Dec. 2024
By making his kids stand arm-in-arm on decisions regarding his wealth, Buffett ensures opportunists won’t be able to exploit the family resources.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2024
Boris, an adept opportunist, would need to change only his outfit to become a modern politician.
—Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 2 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for opportunist
Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Retail stores could also benefit from adding another dimension to product displays or checkout desks, though the device doesn't come with a lock slot for easy security so store owners will have to get inventive or risk opportunist theft.
—New Atlas, 12 Dec. 2024
By making his kids stand arm-in-arm on decisions regarding his wealth, Buffett ensures opportunists won’t be able to exploit the family resources.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2024
Boris, an adept opportunist, would need to change only his outfit to become a modern politician.
—Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 2 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for opportunist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opportunist
Noun
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Being a chameleon as a musician is one thing — Cyrus always had a great voice — but her ongoing identity crisis and need to act out came to define what was otherwise a productive and interesting time.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2025
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Gary, played by Glen Powell (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater), is a chameleon.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
23 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Since winning at Boise State on Jan. 4 and blowing out Air Force at home four days later, the season had become a grind – a double-digit loss at New Mexico, a rare home loss against UNLV, a string of ugly wins against the Mountain West’s bottom-feeders after overcoming dangerously large deficits.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2025
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The Dawgs have lost seven of nine, and their only two wins in that span are at home against the two SEC bottom-feeders, South Carolina and LSU.—
Jim Root,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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After three days, the search for an Australian fisherman who was pulled into the ocean by a shark has been suspended.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
25 Feb. 2025
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Over the past 20 years, global demand for shark and ray meat has nearly doubled, now surpassing the value of the shark fin trade by 1.7 times.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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At times, egoists can approach absurdity and drag their countries into outright disaster.—
Daniel Byman,
Foreign Affairs,
15 Oct. 2019
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McCarthy’s difficulties highlighted the power of hard-right extremists and social-media egoists among the fragile Republican majority in the House.—
Steve Coll,
The New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Opportunist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opportunist. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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