as in opportunistic
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Recent Examples of dog-eat-dog
Each episode is built around a tense, dog-eat-dog hunt, where each player becomes either a Predator or Prey.
—
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 July 2025
Ditch the dog-eat-dog mentality and figure out how to combine their apocalyptic gifts against a common enemy.
—Natalie Zutter
june 30, Literary Hub, 30 June 2025
The antics that ensue are amusing, but there isn’t much incisiveness in the increasingly farcical dog-eat-dog dénouement.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 4 June 2025
With or without his unusual backstory, Greenhalgh quickly realised that elite professional football is a dog-eat-dog world, especially for those who are still trying to prove themselves.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 31 May 2025
The risk was getting waived and wallowing in the G League with sparse crowds, commercial travel between remote locales and a dog-eat-dog team culture for as little as $40,500.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2025
And yet, this authentic and downbeat immigrant drama questions what luck means in a ruthless, dog-eat-dog city where only the strongest survive.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2025
Which is great, because a match-up like that would be the definition of dog-eat-dog; the survival of the least unfit.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 May 2025
The world is dog-eat-dog, and the United States needs to assert itself as the biggest dog.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 1 May 2025
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 July 2025
Ditch the dog-eat-dog mentality and figure out how to combine their apocalyptic gifts against a common enemy.
—Natalie Zutter
june 30, Literary Hub, 30 June 2025
The antics that ensue are amusing, but there isn’t much incisiveness in the increasingly farcical dog-eat-dog dénouement.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 4 June 2025
With or without his unusual backstory, Greenhalgh quickly realised that elite professional football is a dog-eat-dog world, especially for those who are still trying to prove themselves.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 31 May 2025
The risk was getting waived and wallowing in the G League with sparse crowds, commercial travel between remote locales and a dog-eat-dog team culture for as little as $40,500.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2025
And yet, this authentic and downbeat immigrant drama questions what luck means in a ruthless, dog-eat-dog city where only the strongest survive.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2025
Which is great, because a match-up like that would be the definition of dog-eat-dog; the survival of the least unfit.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 May 2025
The world is dog-eat-dog, and the United States needs to assert itself as the biggest dog.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 1 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dog-eat-dog
Adjective
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This capital will be directed towards organic growth, value-accretive M&A, attractive, progressive dividends (50% dividend payout ratio), and opportunistic share buybacks.—
Joe Cornell,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
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Before then, coach Mikey Varas and squad will attempt to learn from several defensive breakdowns that, exploited by opportunistic Houston, showed how vulnerable a first-place team can be.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
Rachel and Ray need to go on the run after Ray’s investigation into a corrupt pharmaceutical executive puts their live in peril.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
-
And then reality crashes down around them in a series of scenes that expose the cruel hypocrisy of Iran’s corrupt system (which purports to uphold morality, but allows men in positions of authority to indulge themselves in egregious ways).—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Animal cruelty is a depraved crime, and countless studies have confirmed a link between animal cruelty and other violent crimes.—
Caroline A. Griffin,
Baltimore Sun,
3 July 2025
-
The videos are depraved yet sophisticated, hyperactive yet requiring devotional attention to narrative, and gonzo yet replete with naked emblems of cultural fears around.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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In a guest role that’s been extremely well hidden in the months leading up to the premiere, Bradley Cooper turns heel as Elijah Gemstone, a degenerate con man who sees right through Abel Grieves’s lucrative scam before plugging him in the forehead.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2025
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In theory, the walls of carbon nanotubes house a sea of degenerate electrons that have a similar density to metals.—
The Physics arXiv Blog,
Discover Magazine,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Of course, the same folks who said Trump’s tariffs would cause runaway inflation also said Biden’s profligate spending wouldn’t cause inflation.—
E.J. Antoni,
Boston Herald,
13 July 2025
-
European cinema helped to produce much of summer noir’s lexicon of themes, settings, and archetypes: Its fascination with the storied decadence of the leisure class—and the profligate rituals of the seasonal tourist—appeared in earlier film satires by Jean Renoir and Jacques Tati.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
His strained, sandpaper-coarse timbre served as an ideal conduit for songs concerned with boisterous revelries, shady agreements, licentious intentions and musical pleasures.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
25 May 2025
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Whereas The Swimming-Pool Library transpires over one London summer — the last licentious gasp before AIDS— and The Line of Beauty spans the Thatcher era, Hollinghurst has lately been expanding his temporal horizons.—
Sam Worley,
Vulture,
7 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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In the kitchen, opt for glass and stainless-steel containers, and throw away degraded plastic tools.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
7 July 2025
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Shot on low-grade digital cameras that made every image look even more apocalyptic and degraded, the film remains utterly terrifying, boasting excellent supporting turns from Naomie Harris and Brendan Gleeson as Jim’s fellow survivors.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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The dish is finished with a decadent, spicy cream sauce formulated with Calabrian chilis, garlic, butter, white wine, cream and marinara.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
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The September 2023 trip included a decadent state dinner at Versailles in Paris, where the Queen glowed in a caped Dior couture gown and sapphire jewelry from the King George VI Sapphire Suite.—
Stephanie Petit,
People.com,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dog-eat-dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dog-eat-dog. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
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