rat-race

The daily rat-race leaves him feeling exhausted and unfulfilled.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A fiercely competitive struggle for success, wealth, or power: "rat-race" refers to an exhausting, competitive routine where people strive to outdo one another, often in a career or social context, leading to stress and dissatisfaction.
   • A futile, hectic work routine: It describes a busy, unfulfilling lifestyle where constant effort yields little real progress or satisfaction.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • He quit his job to escape the rat-race and move to the countryside. (He left the competitive, stressful work environment.)
  • The rat-race of modern city life leaves many people feeling exhausted. (The intense competition for success in urban settings.)
  • She felt trapped in the rat-race, working long hours for little reward. (A tedious, unproductive work routine.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be caught in the rat-race": to be trapped in a competitive, stressful lifestyle.

  • Many young professionals are caught in the rat-race, striving for promotions they don't truly want. (They are stuck in a cycle of competition.)

• "to drop out of the rat-race": to leave the competitive, conventional way of life.

  • After years of stress, they decided to drop out of the rat-race and start a small farm. (They abandoned the competitive career path.)

Variants and Related Words

• Rat-racer (n): a person who participates in or is trapped by the rat-race.
  • He was a typical rat-racer, always checking emails during dinner. (Someone deeply involved in competitive work.)
• Rat-race-like (adj): resembling the qualities of a rat-race.
  • The office atmosphere was rat-race-like, with everyone vying for the boss's attention. (Highly competitive and stressful.)

Synonyms

• Treadmill: a monotonous, repetitive routine.
• Grind: a tedious, demanding daily schedule.
• Competitive jungle: a harsh, competitive environment.

Related Idioms

• Keep up with the Joneses: to strive to match one's neighbours' status or wealth.

  • The rat-race often forces people to keep up with the Joneses, buying things they can't afford. (Competition driven by social comparison.)

• The daily grind: the routine, often boring or stressful aspects of work or life.

  • He was tired of the daily grind of the rat-race. (The repetitive, stressful work routine.)

Usage Notes

• The term "rat-race" is almost always used in a negative context, implying stress, competition, and lack of fulfillment.
• It is typically used as a singular noun (e.g., "the rat-race") and rarely in plural form.
• Avoid confusing it with a literal race involving rats; it is purely metaphorical.