as in opportunistic
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Recent Examples of dog-eat-dog
Halton described himself as an explosive play-maker who can be a dog in a dog-eat-dog world.
—
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
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
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dog-eat-dog
Adjective
-
This evolution isn’t accidental or opportunistic.—
Andrea Domanick,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Their diet reflects the opportunistic feeding behavior monitor keepers know well.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
According to a federal indictment, Maduro and his alleged co-conspirators spent decades working alongside some of the world’s most violent drug traffickers and corrupt regional officials to funnel large quantities of cocaine into the United States.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Jackson argued that Burt Jones' work in the legislature was further evidence that the lieutenant governor is corrupt, a message that the health care tycoon is pushing in advertising too.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Taken together, Beef seems to say all of these are representations of a culture so toxically individualistic and ambitious that its members can’t even fathom solidarity as an option to push back against a depraved ruling class.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The Kino offices are a cesspool with wan lighting and depraved employees who screw each other in the stairwells, presumably for a few sweaty seconds of feeling alive.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Be classy, yet still maintain some of your degenerate tendencies.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
German Expressionism and Surrealism, deemed degenerate by Nazis and Soviets alike, show up in stylized figuration, spatial distortion, and a dreamlike atmosphere.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And this has lent Margot a debased sort of celebrity.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
6 Apr. 2026
-
But the influencer landscape is getting debased and splintered and a bit draining, even for Kylie.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But unlike, say, Sheridan, who is interested in offering the down-home, traditional values of the Southwest as a positive alternative to coastal-élite liberalism, there’s no real upside to the debauched, unbridled world that Levinson presents.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The sun shines on the empty wine bottles and related detritus of last night’s debauched party.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But profligate spending wasn’t the only way inflation weighed on bonds.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
20 Mar. 2026
-
This season on the road, Newcastle have been particularly profligate in possession.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
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 28 Apr. 2026.
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