zero-sum

adjective

ze·​ro-sum ˈzir-(ˌ)ō-ˈsəm 

ˈzē-(ˌ)rō-

: of, relating to, or being a situation (such as a game or relationship) in which a gain for one side entails a corresponding loss for the other side

dividing up the budget is a zero-sum game

Did you know?

Does game theory sound like fun? It can be—if you are a mathematician or economist who needs to analyze a competitive situation in which the outcome is determined by the choices of the players and chance. Game theory was introduced by mathematician John von Neumann and economist Oskar Morgenstern in their 1944 book The Theory of Games and Economic Behavior. In game theory, a zero-sum game is one, such as chess or checkers, where each player has a clear purpose that is completely opposed to that of the opponent. In economics, a situation is zero-sum if the gains of one party are exactly balanced by the losses of another and no net gain or loss is created; however, such situations in real life are rare.

Examples of zero-sum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Researchers have noted that when organizations have only a handful of women in senior leadership roles, advancement can begin to feel like a zero-sum game—creating the perception that one woman's success comes at another's expense. —Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

Belief becomes a zero-sum game. —Daryl Van Tongeren, Fortune, 12 June 2026

Belief becomes a zero-sum game. —Daryl Van Tongeren, The Conversation, 10 June 2026

Rather than simply push for a race-neutral application of the law, Carl thinks that white people can achieve a color-blind future only by pursuing zero-sum politics in the interim. —Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 8 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for zero-sum

• callosum
• nodosum
• overcome
• pyrethrum
• saccharum
• abomasum
• become
• checksum
• humdrum
• income
• outcome
• pisum

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