as in opportunistic
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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
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Lamenting the opportunistic crimes where thieves take vehicles with keys left inside, O'Hara also said that officers are tracking newer and more sophisticated methods.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Søe will be tested immediately by a San Jose side that has defended well enough to keep matches tight and opportunistic enough to punish mistakes.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Today, Christians observe Good Friday — a day when corrupt religious and political forces crucified Jesus of Nazareth as a common criminal on a rubbish heap outside the city walls of Jerusalem.—
Peter Cook,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
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First there’s Phil Reizenstein, who, during a long career plumbing the depths of Magic City jurisprudence, has represented a former telenovela actor who killed a motorist in a road rage incident, as well as a DEA agent in an investigation into corrupt activities.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But where a female-friendship show like Tuca & Bertie falls into the trap of presenting relatability at the expense of creativity, YOLO introduces a dynamic that is depraved, boozy, druggy, shaggy, and totally amoral.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
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Cast against type, Stamos has fun slyly underplaying a thoroughly depraved character.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Prisons are filled with the faithful and the daily news reports are overflowing with reprehensible, criminal, degenerate theists.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2026
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In Osamu Dazai’s The Setting Sun, Kazuko despairs of the pain that her brother Naoji’s drug addiction and degenerate behavior have caused the family.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But the influencer landscape is getting debased and splintered and a bit draining, even for Kylie.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
11 Mar. 2026
-
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
Adjective
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The sun shines on the empty wine bottles and related detritus of last night’s debauched party.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
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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
Adjective
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But profligate spending wasn’t the only way inflation weighed on bonds.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
20 Mar. 2026
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This season on the road, Newcastle have been particularly profligate in possession.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Despite being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Washington maintained order among his demoralized troops.—
Christopher Magra,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2026
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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 7 Apr. 2026.
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