Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tragedy of the commons

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.84 in modern English

Syllables: tragedy of the -com-mons
IPA

36

Scrabble Score

19

Letters

3

Syllables

14

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A situation in which unmanaged use of a shared resource (such as the atmosphere or an ocean) by a number of participants results in the unintended ruin or total consumption of that resource.

Example Sentences

"One theory, known as the tragedy of the commons, holds that people will exploit and abuse something in which they have no ownership stake."
"Overfishing is the classic tragedy of the commons. Since no single nation "owns" the high seas, they exploit it without restraint and without thought to sustainability."
"The economist Elinor Ostrom, who is on our list this year, has written about the tragedy of the commons, which is the idea that self-interest can undermine the common good."

Etymology

Coined by American ecologist Garrett Hardin in 1968.

Inflected Forms

tragedies of the commons (plural)

Phrases

free rider let George do it public good

Frequently Paired Words

anticommons commons free rider let George do it public good

Questions

What does tragedy of the commons mean?: A situation in which unmanaged use of a shared resource (such as the atmosphere or an ocean) by a number of participants results in the unintended ruin or total consumption of that resource.
Where does tragedy of the commons come from?: Coined by American ecologist Garrett Hardin in 1968.

How to pronounce tragedy of the commons

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