| Main Entry: | rat race |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | competition in life |
Synonyms: |
battle of life, daily grind, hamster cage, survival of the fittest, treadmill, vicious circle |
| Main Entry: | calling |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | chosen profession |
Synonyms: |
art, business, career, craft, day gig, do*, dodge*, employment, gig, go*, handicraft, hang*, life's work, lifework, line, mission, métier, nine-to-five, occupation, play, province, pursuit, racket, rat race, slot, swindle*, trade, vocation, walk of life, work |
Antonyms: |
amusement, avocation, entertainment, hobby, recreation |
| Main Entry: | competition |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | contest |
Synonyms: |
antagonism, athletic event, bout, candidacy, championship, clash, concours, contention, controversy, counteraction, do or die, dog eat dog, emulation, encounter, engagement, event, fight, game, go for it, go for the gold, horse race, jungle*, match, matchup, meeting, one on one, one-upping, opposition, pairing off, puzzle, quiz, race, racing, rat race, rivalry, run, sport, strife, striving, struggle, tilt, tournament, trial, tug-of-war, warfare |
| Notes: | competition refers to an abstract quality, whereas competitiveness implies a practical activity whose manifestation can be observed |
| Main Entry: | drudgery |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | hard, tedious work |
Synonyms: |
backbreaker, chore, daily grind, elbow grease, grind*, gruntwork, labor, menial labor, rat race, slavery, struggle, sweat, toil, travail, workout |
Antonyms: |
snap |
| Main Entry: | existence |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | life |
Synonyms: |
actuality, animation, being, breath, continuance, continuation, duration, endurance, entity, essence, hand one is dealt, individuality, journey, lifing, permanence, perseverance, presence, rat race, real world, reality, something, subsistence, survival, the big game, world |
Antonyms: |
death, inanimateness |
| Main Entry: | job |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | employment |
Synonyms: |
activity, appointment, assignment, berth, billet, business, calling, capacity, career, chore, connection, craft, daily grind, engagement, faculty, function, gig, grind*, handicraft, line, livelihood, means, métier, niche, nine-to-five, occupation, office, opening, operation, place, position, post, posting, profession, pursuit, racket, rat race, situation, spot, stint, swindle*, task, trade, vocation, work |
Antonyms: |
unemployment |
| Main Entry: | livelihood |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | occupation |
Synonyms: |
alimentation, art, bread and butter, business, circumstances, craft, employment, game*, grind*, income, job, keep*, living, maintenance, means, nine-to-five, profession, racket, rat race, resources, slot, source of income, subsistence, support, sustenance, thing*, trade, vocation, what one is into, work |
Antonyms: |
entertainment, fun |
| Main Entry: | occupation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | profession, business |
Synonyms: |
activity, affair, calling, chosen work, craft, daily grind, day gig, do, dodge*, employment, game*, grindstone, hang*, job, lick*, line, line of work, moonlight, métier, nine-to-five, play*, post, pursuit, racket, rat race, slot, thing*, trade, vocation, walk of life, what one is into, work |
Antonyms: |
entertainment, fun, hobby, pastime |
| Main Entry: | profession |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | line of work requiring academic or practical preparation |
Synonyms: |
art, avocation, berth, billet, biz, business, calling, career, chosen work, concern, craft, dodge*, employment, engagement, field, game*, handicraft, lifework, line of work, line*, métier, occupation, office, position, post, pursuit, rat race, role, service, situation, slot, specialty, sphere, thing*, trade, undertaking, vocation, walk of life |
Antonyms: |
avocation, entertainment, fun, hobby |
| Main Entry: | routine |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | habitual activity |
Synonyms: |
act, beaten path, bit, channels, custom, cycle, daily grind, drill, formula, grind*, groove*, habit, line, method, order, pace, pattern, piece, practice, procedure, program, rat race, rote, round, rut, schtick, spiel*, system, tack, technique, treadmill, usage, way, wont |
Antonyms: |
break, excitement, unusual |