zero-sum
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of zero-sum
First recorded in 1955–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Asset allocation, Currie emphasized, is a zero-sum game: “You cannot be overweight everything.”
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
"We're realistic about the competition but the global sportswear landscape is not a zero-sum game," an Anta spokesperson tells the BBC.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
It’s a zero-sum game for filmmakers and viewers alike, who would both do well to recognize the inherent value in surprise.
From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026
And it should challenge the idea that banks and private-capital managers are playing a zero-sum game with each other.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
It was unfair to blame her for the fictional zero-sum game of her successes equaling his failures.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
