Meanings
nounopportunist (plural opportunists)
plural opportunists
- Someone who takes advantage of any opportunity to advance their own situation, placing expediency above principle.
James Milner's angled free-kick was headed on to the post by the tireless Bent and Lampard the opportunist was perfectly placed to stoop and head in from virtually on the goal-line.
2011 November 12, “International friendly: England 1-0 Spain”, in BBC SportSynonyms: chancer
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity to advance their own situation, placing expediency above principle.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivetaking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchopportuniste
- Englishopportunist
From French opportuniste, equivalent to opportune + -ist.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan oportunista
- oportunistasomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Chinese Mandarin 變色龍 /变色龙
- 變色龍 /变色龙 (biànsèlóng)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Czech oportunista
- oportunistasomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Danish opportunist
- opportunistsomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Dutch opportunist, opportuniste
- opportunistsomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- opportunistesomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Esperanto oportunisto
- oportunistosomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Estonian oportunist
- oportunistsomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Finnish opportunisti
- opportunistisomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
French opportuniste
- opportunistesomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
German Opportunist, Opportunistin
- Opportunistsomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- Opportunistinsomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- Wendehalssomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Greek καιροσκόπος, οπορτουνιστής
- καιροσκόπος (kairoskópos)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- οπορτουνιστής (oportounistís)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- οπορτουνίστρια (oportounístria)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Indonesian oportunis
- oportunissomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Irish brabúsaí
- brabúsaísomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Italian approfittatore, opportunista
- approfittatoresomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- opportunistasomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Japanese 日和見主義者, 蝙蝠
- 日和見主義者 (hiyorimi shugisha)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- 蝙蝠 (kōmori)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- カメレオン (kamereon)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Korean 기회주의자
- 기회주의자 (gihoejuuija)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Latvian oportūnists, oportūniste
- oportūnistssomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- oportūnistesomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Norwegian opportunist
- opportunistsomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Persian فرصت طلب, اپورتونیست
- فرصت طلب (forsat-talab)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- اپورتونیست (oportunist)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Polish oportunista, oportunistka
- oportunistasomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- oportunistkasomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Portuguese oportunista, chupim
- oportunistasomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- chupimsomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Russian оппортуни́ст, оппортуни́стка
- оппортуни́ст (opportuníst)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- оппортуни́стка (opportunístka)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- приспособле́нец (prisposoblénec)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- приспособле́нка (prisposoblénka)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Spanish oportunista, vela güira
- oportunistasomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- vela güirasomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- aprovechadosomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- aprovechónsomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- ventajistasomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- ventajososomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- ventajerosomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- encajososomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- pancistasomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Swedish opportunist
- opportunistsomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Tagalog mapanamantala
- mapanamantalasomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Turkish fırsatçı
- fırsatçısomeone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Ukrainian опортуні́ст, опортуні́стка
- опортуні́ст (oportuníst)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- опортуні́стка (oportunístka)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- пристосо́ванець (prystosóvanecʹ)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
- пристосо́ванка (prystosóvanka)someone who takes advantage of any opportunity
Cite this entry
APA
opportunist. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opportunist
MLA
“opportunist.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opportunist. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “opportunist,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opportunist.
Source: opportunist on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.