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Discover LudwigThe phrase "zero-sum game" is correct and commonly used in written English
It is typically used in economics and game theory to describe a situation where one person's gain is equal to another person's loss. It can also be used more broadly to describe any situation where there is a fixed amount of resources and any gain for one party must come at the expense of another. Example: Negotiating a salary increase can sometimes feel like a zero-sum game because any raise given to one employee may result in a smaller raise or no raise at all for another employee.
Dictionary
Zero-sum game
noun
A game (or a similar political or economic system) in which the gains of some players must equal the losses of others.
Exact(57)
China has crafted a doctrine called "Peaceful Rise (Emergence)," whose purpose is to eschew the path Germany and Japan took in the 20th century that led to war through a zero-sum game for resources and power.
"It isn't a zero-sum game".
But irredentism is a zero-sum game.
"We're nearing a zero-sum game.
College admissions are a zero-sum game.
Politics became a zero-sum game.
It is not a zero-sum game.
Governing is never a zero-sum game.
Education is not a zero-sum game.
Longevity is not a zero-sum game.
Advocates are resisting this zero-sum game.
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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak
CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com