law of the jungle

noun

1. a system or mode of action in which the strongest survive, presumably as animals in nature or as human beings whose activity is not regulated by the laws or ethics of civilization.

law of the jungle

noun

1. a state of ruthless competition or self-interest

Word History and Origins

Origin of law of the jungle¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Idioms and Phrases

Survival of the strongest, as in The recent price war among airlines was governed by the law of the jungle . This term, alluding to the jungle as a place devoid of ethics where brutality and self-interest reign, was first used by Rudyard Kipling in The Jungle Book (1894).

Example Sentences

“We now live in the Gaza Strip and are governed by the American law of the jungle. America has killed human rights,” said Rafah resident Abu Yasser al-Khatib.

From Washington Times

“We now live in the Gaza Strip and are governed by the American law of the jungle. America has killed human rights,” said Rafah resident Abu Yasser al-Khatib.

From Washington Times

“Putin is dragging us back to the law of the jungle. He has to be defeated.”

From Seattle Times

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a now-deleted message on the social media platform X that the war in Gaza was a “struggle between the children of light and the children of darkness, between humanity and the law of the jungle.”

From Seattle Times

Khan, who was expected to address his followers virtually later on Saturday, on Friday welcomed the court's bail order and said the judiciary was Pakistan's only protection against the "law of the jungle".

From Reuters