dog-eat-dog

adjective

Definition of dog-eat-dognext
as in opportunistic

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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 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 See All Example Sentences for dog-eat-dog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dog-eat-dog
  1. opportunistic
  2. corrupt
  3. depraved
  4. degenerate
  5. debased
  6. debauched
  7. profligate
  8. demoralized
Adjective
  • Nevertheless, authorities believe the original theft was opportunistic rather than commissioned.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Nearly half of the oil executives (47%) said the most common form of theft was targeted and organized, while 42% described it as opportunistic petty theft.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of opportunistic
Adjective
  • The most egregious perpetrators of fraud in the industry were corrupt doctors who were paid by patients to send insurance companies medical examination reports that omitted unfavorable findings.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • That unaffordability, Talarico argued at the nighttime rally in Texas that was packed with younger voters, is because billionaires and corrupt politicians have rigged the system.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Adjective
  • The loss of every life to violence is a tragedy, even when that violence is necessary to hold a depraved killer accountable.
    — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Who doesn’t want to hear about the possible soulless and depraved having an affair and getting away with it?
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of depraved
Adjective
  • In Parkinson’s disease, neurons producing a chemical messenger called dopamine degenerate, and the dopamine itself cannot cross from the bloodstream into the brain.
    — Mallory Green, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
  • When the discs degenerate, vertebrae lose the spongy buffer between bones, resulting in pain.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of degenerate
Adjective
  • The plates feature debased imprints of the same signature shapes, creating a dialogue with the glasses.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • That wasn’t its only subject; comedy and power and misogyny and creativity and intergenerational conflict and work ethic and, especially in its last few seasons, the debased state of the entertainment industry were all richly explored through lines.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026
Definition of debased
Adjective
  • There is something debauched and luxurious about Durham’s photos, and not just because everyone in them is dressed as French aristocrats guzzling champagne and popping bon-bons.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
  • For his story was a record of his most debauched thoughts and desires.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of debauched
Adjective
  • Bournemouth were profligate, despite scoring through Marcus Tavernier and forcing a Malick Thiaw own goal, with multiple first-half chances wasted.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • This shift occasioned the profligate production that would mark her oeuvre, with Kusama going on to make hundreds of paintings in which forests of lines and dots cradled variously floral and phallic figures.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of profligate
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
Definition of demoralized

Browse Nearby Words

dog-eared
dog-eat-dog
dogface
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dog-eat-dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dog-eat-dog. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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