opportunistic

UK/ˌɒp.əˌtjuːˈnɪs.tɪk/US/ˌɑ.pɚˌt(j)uːˈnɪs.tɪk/

adjectiveB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,183 of 15,258leans written

Opportunistic means seizing any chance that comes, whatever the principle. An opportunistic move, purely opportunistic, opportunistic crime.

In medicine it is neutral and precise, since an opportunistic infection is one that only takes hold when the immune system is weakened. Of a person or a policy it is an accusation of having no fixed position.

Definitions of opportunistic

1adjectiveopportunisticSeizing any chance that comes, whatever the principle.B2+
“Opportunistic thieves stole bags from cars left unlocked at the beach.”

opportunistic is a quality.

Where it comes from

From opportunist + -ic.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

opportunistic in the wild

In some cases, opportunistic infections can be labeled as a hospital-acquired infection due to individuals contracting them within a healthcare/hospital setting.
Opportunistic infection
In terms of history, there is not one individual that can be attributed for discovering opportunistic infections.
Opportunistic infection
Flexible or opportunistic breeders mate whenever the conditions of their environment become favorable.
Opportunistic breeder
Since changes in season can coincide with favorable changes in environment, the distinction between seasonal breeder and opportunistic can be muddled.
Opportunistic breeder
Several species in the genera Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces are opportunistic human pathogens.
Microbotryomycetes

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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