Phrase guide

lifeboat ethics

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A system of ethics based on "first come, first served" or "every man for himself" rather than the fair distribution of resources.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lifeboatism

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Proposed by the ecologist Garrett Hardin, who gave the example of a lifeboat that can hold 50 people but is surrounded by 100 swimmers.