Opportunistic

//ˌɑ.pɚˌt(j)uːˈnɪs.tɪk// adj

adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1
Taking advantage of situations that arise.
"The danger now isn't so much from the AIDS virus itself as from opportunistic infections."
2
Taking advantage of situations to advance one's own interests without regard for moral principles.
"You can't trust somebody that opportunistic: he'll stab you in the back the first chance he gets."

Adjective

1
taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit wordnet

Synonyms

expedient opportunist timeserving

Example

"Tom is quite opportunistic, isn't he?"

Etymology

From opportunist + -ic.

Related phrases

opportunistic infection opportunistic necrophiliac take advantage take advantage of

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.