Standard Lemma guide

opportunist

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˌɒpə(ɹ)ˈtjuːnɪst/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AA2 P ER0 T UW1 N IH0 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone who takes advantage of any opportunity to advance their own situation, placing expediency above principle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: opportunistic, timeserving

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a person who places expediency above principle

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: self-seeker

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: selfish person

Narrower terms: backscratcher, bottom feeder, carpetbagger, hustler, wheeler dealer, operator, timeserver

History

Etymology

From French opportuniste, equivalent to opportune + -ist.

Across languages

Translations

65 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مصلحجي (maṣlaḥji) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Arabic: مصلحجية (maṣlaḥjiyye) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Armenian: օպորտունիստ (ōportunist) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Armenian: պատեհապաշտ (patehapašt) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Asturian: oportunista — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Azerbaijani: fürsətçi — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Belarusian: апартуні́ст (apartuníst) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Belarusian: апартуні́стка (apartunístka) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Catalan: oportunista — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Chinese Mandarin: 變色龍 /变色龙 (biànsèlóng) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Czech: oportunista — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Danish: opportunist — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Dutch: opportunist — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Dutch: opportuniste — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Esperanto: oportunisto — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Estonian: oportunist — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Finnish: opportunisti — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • French: opportuniste — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Galician: oportunista — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Galician: comenenciudo — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Georgian: ოპორტუნისტი (oṗorṭunisṭi) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • German: Opportunist — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • German: Opportunistin — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • German: Wendehals — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Greek: καιροσκόπος (kairoskópos) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Greek: οπορτουνιστής (oportounistís) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Greek: οπορτουνίστρια (oportounístria) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Indonesian: oportunis — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Irish: brabúsaí — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Italian: approfittatore — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Italian: opportunista — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Japanese: 日和見主義者 (hiyorimi shugisha) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Japanese: 蝙蝠 (kōmori) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Japanese: カメレオン (kamereon) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Korean: 기회주의자 (gihoejuuija) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Latvian: oportūnists — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Latvian: oportūniste — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Norwegian: opportunist — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Persian: فرصت طلب (forsat-talab) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Persian: اپورتونیست (oportunist) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Polish: oportunista — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Polish: oportunistka — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Portuguese: oportunista — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Portuguese: chupim — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Russian: оппортуни́ст (opportuníst) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Russian: оппортуни́стка (opportunístka) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Russian: приспособле́нец (prisposoblénec) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Russian: приспособле́нка (prisposoblénka) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Serbo-Croatian: oportunist — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Spanish: oportunista — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Spanish: vela güira — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Spanish: aprovechado — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Spanish: aprovechón — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Spanish: ventajista — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Spanish: ventajoso — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Spanish: ventajero — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Spanish: encajoso — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Spanish: pancista — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Swedish: opportunist — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Tagalog: mapanamantala — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Turkish: fırsatçı — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Ukrainian: опортуні́ст (oportuníst) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Ukrainian: опортуні́стка (oportunístka) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Ukrainian: пристосо́ванець (prystosóvanecʹ) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
  • Ukrainian: пристосо́ванка (prystosóvanka) — someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Real reading context

opportunist in complete knowledge articles