opportunistic
/ˌɑ.pɚˌt(j)uːˈnɪs.tɪk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.07 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
5
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
adj
Taking advantage of situations to advance one's own interests without regard for moral principles.
Example Sentences
- "The danger now isn't so much from the AIDS virus itself as from opportunistic infections."
- "You can't trust somebody that opportunistic: he'll stab you in the back the first chance he gets."
- "[…] an opportunistic relative masquerading as his rescuer, […]"
- "Now, maybe you see this as sort of an obvious and opportunistic publicity play by a competing social-media service. Maybe it even seems crass to you—a little grave-dancy."
Etymology
Etymology tree English opportunist Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English opportunistic From opportunist + -ic.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌɑ.pɚˌt(j)uːˈnɪs.tɪk/
- British English: /ˌɒp.əˌtjuːˈnɪs.tɪk/
Inflected Forms
more opportunistic (comparative)
most opportunistic (superlative)