law of the jungle

American  

noun

1. a system or mode of action in which the strongest survive, presumably as animals in nature or as human beings whose activity is not regulated by the laws or ethics of civilization.

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law of the jungle British  

noun

1. a state of ruthless competition or self-interest

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law of the jungle Idioms  

1. Survival of the strongest, as in The recent price war among airlines was governed by the law of the jungle. This term, alluding to the jungle as a place devoid of ethics where brutality and self-interest reign, was first used by Rudyard Kipling in The Jungle Book (1894).

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Etymology

Origin of law of the jungle

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

"A select few countries should not have privileges based on self-interest, and the world cannot revert to the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak," Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said at the World Economic Forum this month.

From Barron's

She said the UK and its allies should collectively say "we cannot have breaches of international law like this. We cannot have the law of the jungle."

From BBC

President Xi gave a toast to say the world must "never return to the law of the jungle".

From BBC

"There is no place for this type of conduct, retribution or the law of the jungle."

From BBC

Do that, the Law of the Jungle takes over and good team beats bad team.

From Seattle Times