Dictionary / opportunity
opportunity
- noun
- from Middle French
A chance for advancement, progress or profit.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “opportunity” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
noun
- countableuncountableA chance for advancement, progress or profit.
seize the opportunity
- countableuncountableA favorable circumstance or occasion.
Having a holiday is a great opportunity to relax.
- countablenonstandarduncountableOpportuneness.
The Court questioned the opportunity of introducing these measures in such an uncertain economic climate.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (1)
- nouna possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances — also: chance
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)opportunity
- Englishopportune + -ity
- Middle Frenchopportunité
- Latinopportūnitās
From opportune + -ity, from Middle French opportunité, from Latin opportūnitās.
Derivatives — words built from “opportunity”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “opportunity” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “opportunity” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Wiktionary’s etymology does not give a separate meaning for the earliest form of “opportunity”, so we don’t state one. The historical dictionary entry below shows how the word was understood in 1913.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
opportunity n. [F. opportunit, L. opportunitas. See Opportune.]
- Fit or convenient time or situation; a time or place permitting or favorable for the execution of a purpose; a suitable combination of conditions; suitable occasion; chance.
- Convenience of situation; fitness.
- Importunity; earnestness.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
nounMeaning: A chance for advancement, progress or profit.
seize the opportunity
take an opportunity
nounMeaning: A favorable circumstance or occasion.
Having a holiday is a great opportunity to relax.
nounMeaning: Opportuneness.
The Court questioned the opportunity of introducing these measures in such an uncertain economic climate.
In the Communist party he found what many intellectuals need: absolute certainty in defiance of facts, an opportunity of total commitment that supersedes criticism and stills every anxiety.1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume III: The Breakdown, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozkład (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC,
nounMeaning: a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
the holiday gave us the opportunity to visit Washington
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
opportunity
/ˌɒp.əˈtjuː.nɪ.tɪ/ · op·por·tun·i·ty
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
opportunity
/ˌɒp.əˈtjuː.nɪ.tɪ/ · op·por·tun·i·ty · noun
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “opportunity” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“seize the opportunity”
Circle the meaning used.
“Having a holiday is a great opportunity to relax.”
Circle the meaning used.
“The Court questioned the opportunity of introducing these measures in such an uncertain economic climate.”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “opportunity” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — opportunity
Which meaning, sentence 1: A. A chance for advancement, progress or profit.
Which meaning, sentence 2: C. A favorable circumstance or occasion.
Which meaning, sentence 3: C. Opportuneness.
Origin: B. Middle French (Middle French opportunité)
Journey: English opportunity ← English opportune + -ity ← Middle French opportunité ← Latin opportūnitās
Some derivatives: crisitunity, equal-opportunity, inopportunity, oopsortunity, opportunitroph, opportunityless, opportunivore, swapportunity
Etymology: From opportune + -ity, from Middle French opportunité, from Latin opportūnitās.
Sources: Wiktionary “opportunity” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/opportunity#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/opportunity