opportunist

/'ɔpətju:nist/ Cách viết khác : (opportunistic) /,ɔpətju:'nistik/

Thân thiện

An opportunist politician changes his stance to win votes.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A person who takes advantage of opportunities as they arise, especially with little regard for principles or consequences. This often implies acting in a self-serving, expedient, or unethical manner to benefit from circumstances.

2. Adjective:

   • Describing actions or behavior characterized by taking immediate advantage of situations for personal gain, often unethically. It is synonymous with "opportunistic."

Usage and Examples

• Noun: He was seen as a political opportunist, changing his stance to match popular opinion.The business opportunist bought up all the supplies during the shortage to sell them at a high price.

• Adjective (often used as "opportunistic"): Her opportunist approach to the negotiation shocked her more principled colleagues.The company made an opportunist bid for its struggling competitor.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• The term often carries a negative connotation, suggesting a lack of integrity or scruples. It implies that the person is guided by expediency rather than by consistent morals or long-term strategy.
• In biology and medicine, the adjective form "opportunistic" is used neutrally to describe infections or organisms that take advantage of weakened defenses (e.g., an ).

Variants and Related Words

• Opportunistic (adjective): The more common adjectival form. (e.g., )
• Opportunism (noun): The practice or policy of exploiting circumstances for immediate gain. (e.g., )

Synonyms

• Noun: Expedient, self-seeker, pragmatist (though pragmatist can be less negative).
• Adjective: Expedient, exploitative, calculating, unscrupulous.

Idioms and Phrases

• While there is no single common idiom with the exact word "opportunist," the concept is central to phrases like:
  • To seize the opportunity: This is a neutral or positive phrase. An opportunist is someone who consistently seizes opportunities, often with a negative implication.
  • Fair-weather friend: This idiom describes a person whose loyalty is opportunist, present only in good times.

Học thuật

Adjective

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

Noun

1. a person who places expediency above principle

Từ đồng nghĩa

• opportunistic
• timeserving
• self-seeker