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

Alphabet’s offerings have improved, Reitzes said, but the AI trade “will still take a while to play out, and it could end up that AI is not “a zero-sum game.”

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She has said she believes AI is “not a zero-sum game” and that recent concerns about an overheated market for chips and data centers are exaggerated.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“As an industry we really need to move beyond any type of zero-sum narrative or winner-take-all hype,” he said.

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In part thanks to the lead performance by “Squid Game” star Lee, there is a warmth and charm to go along with Park’s exacting craft and formalism in this vicious satire of the zero-sum mindset of current economies.

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The customer who plays zero-sum games against them may win from time to time but never systematically, and never so spectacularly that he bankrupts the casino.

Read more on Literature