[This term derives from the 17th century English author Thomas Hobbes, whose best-known work, Leviathan, describes a dog-eat-dog world of unrestrained, selfish and uncivilized competition.] A toilet paper shortage at home is … certainly not normal in a land of plenty. … Outside, everyone talked about how a trip to the store had devolved into a Hobbesian supermarket sweep. Jostling lines. Frantic customers. Stressed employees …. “It’s starting to get ugly,” Ms. Maloney said. (Jack Healy, “24 Hours in a Pandemic Nation,” The New York Times, 04/04/2020.)
This word, when used in the above sense, can also be a synonym for dog-eat-dog, ruthless, merciless, pitiless, and competitive.
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