zero-sum

[zeer-oh-suhm]

adjective

1. of or denoting a system in which the sum of the gains equals the sum of the losses.

   a zero-sum economy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of zero-sum¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Social-media apps are in a “zero-sum competition for leisure time,” Nathanson wrote, with the losers facing potential obsolescence, as seen by the fate of MySpace and Vine.

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Their approach broke from the drawn-out, detail-driven pattern of traditional Middle East negotiations, which often devolved into zero-sum battles, analysts say.

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“Then it will be sort of a zero-sum game in terms of accommodation,” he said.

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And then there’s the acidic “Actually Romantic,” which seems to be a response to Charli XCX’s “Sympathy Is a Knife,” in which Charli expressed her anxieties about being compared to Taylor in a zero-sum pop scene; Swift gets off some funny lines about chihuahuas and cocaine but totally forgoes the sense of empathy that made her such an icon to every pop songwriter who’s come up behind her.

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In “107 Days,” she describes Biden’s team as having a “zero-sum” outlook: “if she’s shining, he’s dimmed.”

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