rat race
/ˈɹæt ˌɹeɪs/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.12 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An activity or situation which is congested with participants and which is hectic or tedious, especially in the context of a busy, modern urban lifestyle.
Informal
noun
The busy, modern urban lifestyle itself, especially when seen as a competition for wealth or power.
noun
Inconsiderate or unfair competition, where the competitors are willing to use any means to win.
Example Sentences
- "[…] a 1950s-ish town, keeping a sense of community far from the superhighway rat race."
- "Forget about the rat race / Let's do the Milkshake / Selling like a hotcake"
- "I was running away […] from my inability, although I am quite an attractive rat, to make headway in the rat-race."
- "Echoing Allen Ginsberg, he contends that the suburban setting of “Father Knows Best” is most accurately seen as America's “ludicrous breeding ground for the young meat who will be fed into its wars and rat races and inhuman conformities.”"
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɹæt ˌɹeɪs/
- British English: /ˈɹæt ˌɹeɪs/