taking advantage
Using for benefit
Taking advantage has two distinct uses depending on what follows.
If you take advantage of an opportunity, a situation, or a resource, you make good use of it: We took advantage of the nice weather to go hiking.
But if you take advantage of a person, you exploit them unfairly or treat them badly for your own benefit: He took advantage of her trust.
Context usually makes clear which sense is intended.
- exploitingUsing selfishly for benefit
- manipulatingInfluencing through cunning
- usingPutting into service
- easy markReadily deceived person
- opportunisticExploiting circumstances for gain
golden opportunity · cunning · scheming · selfish · predatory · leverage · capitalize · profiting · parasitic · calculated · power play · upper hand · ruthless · swindling · preying · milking · free ride · freeloading
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- moochingmooch, moocher, mooching, freeloader, freeloading
taking advantagesquandering
Reckless depletion of resources
wasting · missing out · letting slip · passing up · neglecting
taking advantagerespecting
About; on the topic
protecting · looking out for · empowering · honoring · supporting
taking advantagesacrificing
Giving up something valued
giving back · giving up · helping · serving others · yielding
take, taking, takes, taken, taker, takers, intake, uptake, overtake