opportunist
pronunciation
How to pronounce opportunist in British English:
UK [ˌɒpəˈtju:nɪst]
How to pronounce opportunist in American English:
US [ˌɑpərˈtunɪst]
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- Noun:
- a person who places expediency above principle
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- Adjective:
- taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit
Word Origin
- opportunist (n.)
- 1881, from opportunism (q.v.) + -ist. A word in Italian politics, later applied in French by Rochefort to Gambetta (1876) and then generally in English to any who seek to profit from the prevailing circumstances.
Example
- 1. Am I shallow , greedy and opportunist ?
- 2. In the end , he concludes , nature is an opportunist .
- 3. Enduring reform , as opposed to opportunist retribution , is hard to enact .
- 4. He was enough of a pragmatist , and opportunist , not to quibble .
- 5. So when the shampoo story surfaced in july , some bloggers and pundits blasted chan as a calculating opportunist .