opportunistic

opportunistic
opportunistic opportunistic adj. 1. taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit; practising opportunism. [WordNet sense 1]

Syn: opportunist, timeserving. [WordNet 1.5]

2. (Med.) Causing disease only when the immune system of the host has been weakened, or other damage to the host provides special opportunity for invasion; -- of microorganisms or infectious diseases; as, opportunistic pathogens may infect a burn site; AIDS predisposes a patient to opportunistic infection. [PJC]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • opportunistic — [äp΄ər to͞o nis′tik, äp΄ərtyo͞onis′tik] adj. 1. of or characterized by opportunism ☆ 2. designating or of an infection or disease caused by a microorganism (opportunistic microorganism) that is normally not virulent but that can cause a serious… …   English World dictionary

  • opportunistic — index mercenary Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • opportunistic — (adj.) 1889, see OPPORTUNIST (Cf. opportunist) + IC (Cf. ic). Related: Opportunistically …   Etymology dictionary

  • opportunistic — ► ADJECTIVE 1) exploiting immediate opportunities, especially in an unplanned or selfish way. 2) Medicine (of an infection) occurring when the immune system is depressed. DERIVATIVES opportunistically adverb …   English terms dictionary

  • opportunistic — 1. Denoting an organism capable of causing disease only in a host whose resistance is lowered, e.g., by other diseases or by drugs. 2. Denoting a disease caused by such an organism. * * * op·por·tu·nist·ic t(y)ü nis tik adj 1) of, relating to, or …   Medical dictionary

  • opportunistic — adjective Date: 1892 taking advantage of opportunities as they arise: as a. exploiting opportunities with little regard to principle or consequences < a politician considered opportunistic > b. feeding on whatever food is available …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • opportunistic — adjective /ˌɑpərˌtuːˈnɪstɪk/ a) taking advantage of situations that arise , The danger now isnt so much from the AIDS virus itself as from opportunistic infections. b) said of people who will take advantage of situations to advance their own… …   Wiktionary

  • opportunistic — opportunist op‧por‧tun‧ist [ˌɒpəˈtjuːnst ǁ ˌɑːpərˈtuː ] noun [countable] a person or organization that is willing to use every chance to gain an advantage or make money: • These companies represent a growing band of economic opportunists they… …   Financial and business terms

  • opportunistic — op|por|tun|is|tic [ ,apərtu nıstık ] adjective 1. ) looking for and taking an opportunity, often in a way that is unfair or harms someone else: Most of the robberies have been opportunistic crimes against elderly people who live alone. 2. ) an… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • opportunistic — [[t]ɒ̱pə(r)tjuːnɪ̱stɪk, AM tuːn [/t]] ADJ GRADED (disapproval) If you describe someone s behaviour as opportunistic, you are critical of them because they take advantage of situations in order to gain money or power, without thinking about… …   English dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”