as in opportunistic
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Recent Examples of dog-eat-dog
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
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
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
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
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
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
-
And so the Met’s general manager, the nimbly opportunistic Peter Gelb, recently struck a $100 million deal with Saudi Arabia to supply Riyadh’s new opera house with three weeks’ worth of performances each year and a dose of possibly obsolete cachet.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The defense was opportunistic and timely, and that was the difference on Sunday.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Our institutions are failing us — either corrupt or underfunded, gutted and useless — and we’re absorbed with stories of characters that manage to save themselves, and on their own terms.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
-
That failure was on corrupt leadership.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Advertisement Monster: The Ed Gein Story (Netflix) Date TBA After the success of their foray into the twisted minds of Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez Brothers, Netflix and Ryan Murphy are turning their Monster lens onto arguably one of the most depraved killers in history - Ed Gein.—
Lucy Ford,
Time,
28 Aug. 2025
-
But, as Shackelford implies, one evil (hatred of Jews) cannot justify another — depraved indifference to the starvation of an entire population.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Like people, joints naturally degenerate over time, and arthritis is particularly common in older pets.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
In his native Germany, he was reviled by the Nazis as a degenerate artist.—
Celia Bell
July 22,
Literary Hub,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Only the first is still fashionable, and the last has been so debased, misused, and weaponized over the centuries as to be almost unspeakable in polite company.—
Zadie Smith,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
But in recent years, acts of brazen violence have been the grim drumbeat of a debased national politics.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The film follows a wealthy socialite and a struggling writer who are thrown together at a debauched party.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
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
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Dembele, once a creative, two-footed but profligate winger who Luis Enrique coached into a prolific striker, has not started any of the five Club World Cup games.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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But a new study has found that such workplace jargon may be doing more harm than good—making employees feel confused, demoralized and less likely to collaborate with their coworkers.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
-
The octogenarian trying to reach a new generation of voters amid a demoralized Democratic Party is a stark juxtaposition.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dog-eat-dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dog-eat-dog. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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