as in opportunistic
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dog-eat-dog
People sometimes forget that World War II was a dog-eat-dog struggle for resources – oil and uranium but also dozens of other materials, everything from rubber to copper.
—
Thomas Robertson, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
Rhyme schemes become secondary to dog-eat-dog dogma.
—Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025
Stability and predictability would be the exception, not the norm, in a dog-eat-dog world.
—Alexander Stubb, Foreign Affairs, 2 Dec. 2025
Joy radiates in the room, and a dog-eat-dog environment where people cut each other off is replaced by open collaboration.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 19 Sep. 2025
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
Thomas Robertson, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
Rhyme schemes become secondary to dog-eat-dog dogma.
—Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025
Stability and predictability would be the exception, not the norm, in a dog-eat-dog world.
—Alexander Stubb, Foreign Affairs, 2 Dec. 2025
Joy radiates in the room, and a dog-eat-dog environment where people cut each other off is replaced by open collaboration.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 19 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dog-eat-dog
Adjective
-
Thus far, though, Denver’s been all opportunistic and hardly aggressive.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Prior to 1987, treatment for AIDS was limited to treating opportunistic infections along with palliative care.—
Steve Bender,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And right now, these corrupt billionaires, these greedy corporations, are determining all avenues of our life, all types of policies.—
Jim DeFede,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Just as all British became painted as corrupt as part of their national character, so too did all Native people become seen as savage by their biological nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Maybe the regime just takes a new form, an equally depraved regime.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
In recent weeks, Trump has again revealed himself to be a stain on basic decency and humanity, demonstrating a depraved indifference to suffering and a laser-like focus on gold and glory.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The latest film from Polish filmmaker Jan Komasa follows a 19-year-old degenerate raver from London who, in the last gasp of an all-time bender, is kidnapped by Stephen Graham and chained up in the basement of a posh estate.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Today, the urgent challenge before the royal family and many other institutions protected by mystique is whether the often degenerate select few in charge can still persuade the mass of people to remain beguiled and accept authority.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Now, several polls show that Wyomingites oppose killing wildlife with vehicles, which gives public officials in the next Legislative session an opening to prohibit this debased practice.—
Wendy Keefover,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The script, penned by Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid, becomes bizarrely moralistic by the end, insinuating that the debased and debauched might perhaps see their problems solved by becoming domesticated.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The event involves no less than three after-parties, and the film bounces between Nick’s future self and Mike trying to prevent Present Nick from serving him up on a silver platter to Sosa while Jimmy Boy is busy enjoying his newfound freedom to its debauched fullest.—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The script, penned by Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid, becomes bizarrely moralistic by the end, insinuating that the debased and debauched might perhaps see their problems solved by becoming domesticated.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This season on the road, Newcastle have been particularly profligate in possession.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
The profligate spending of the Biden administration and the monetary mismanagement of the Federal Reserve caused both home prices and interest rates to skyrocket, a deadly one-two punch that knocked out the housing market.—
E.J. Antoni,
Mercury News,
28 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Washington maintained order among his demoralized troops.—
Christopher Magra,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The Democratic Party has funneled all the fury of its demoralized and humiliated voter base into a focal point centered on immigration policy.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dog-eat-dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dog-eat-dog. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
