opportunité

Opportunité is a French noun derived from Latin opportunitas, meaning a favorable conjuncture or moment. In general usage, it denotes a circumstance that makes a desired outcome more achievable and that is timely and suitable for action. The term also carries a sense of agency, implying that a situation can be seized rather than merely endured.

In everyday language people speak of saisir une opportunité to seize an opportunity, or of a promising opportunity to advance a project or career. In business and economics, opportunité refers to a market or investment opportunity—the chance to create value given conditions, resources and risks. Identifying opportunities and assessing their feasibility is a core activity in entrepreneurship, strategic planning and venture analysis.

In legal and public policy discourse, the word appears in phrases like l'opportunité des poursuites or the opportunité de réguler, describing whether pursuing a course of action serves the public interest or aligns with political timing.

Opportunité is contrasted with chance or hasard; while luck can be random, opportunity underlines suitability and the possibility of action. Critics warn against overemphasizing opportunities at the expense of sustainable practices or long-term goals, a risk of opportunism when timing is used to justify premature or unsuitable actions.