race to the bottom

noun

A situation in which competition between governments leads to very excessive (harmful) deregulation.

Opposite
race to the top
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Meanings

nounrace to the bottom (plural races to the bottom)

plural races to the bottom

  1. economicsA situation in which competition between governments leads to very excessive (harmful) deregulation.
  2. A situation in which competition between entities leads to elimination of perks or amenities, often in the interest of cutting costs.
  3. Any situation in which multiple parties are seemingly competing to achieve the greatest level of mediocrity.

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
race to the top

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 比爛 /比烂
  • 比爛 /比烂 (bǐlàn)Translations
Dutch race naar de bodem, wedloop naar de bodem
  • race naar de bodemTranslations
  • wedloop naar de bodemTranslations
Finnish kilpasyöksy
  • kilpasyöksyTranslations
Italian gioco a somma negativa
  • gioco a somma negativaTranslations
Spanish carrera hacia el abismo
  • carrera hacia el abismoTranslations
Vietnamese cuộc đua xuống đáy
  • cuộc đua xuống đáyTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

race to the bottom. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/race%20to%20the%20bottom

MLA

“race to the bottom.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/race%20to%20the%20bottom. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “race to the bottom,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/race%20to%20the%20bottom.

Source: race to the bottom on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.