Game Theory Vocabulary

verb to waste time, to dawdle, to linger, to spend time aimlessly or frivolously

• It is not wise to dally when making important decisions.
• Stop dallying and get to work!
• Quit dallying around and let's go already!
• She liked to dally with the idea of moving to a new city, but never actually did it.

noun a person who is skilled at outguessing others

verb to surpass someone in guessing or predicting

• It is impossible to outguess the outcome of the stock market.
• I tried to outguess the traffic by taking a different route.
• You can't outguess Mother Nature when it comes to the weather.
• She always seems to outguess me when we play chess.

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, in this case 'unguessed' describes something that has not been guessed

• The true extent of the damage was unguessed until further investigation was conducted.
• The answer to the riddle was completely unguessed by everyone in the room.
• Her talent for singing was unguessed by most people until she performed at the talent show.
• The depth of his emotions remained unguessed by those around him.

noun a method of voting or social choice that determines the majority preference in a group by comparing each possible pair of candidates or options in a series of rounds

• The Condorcet method is a voting system that selects the candidate who would win in a head-to-head competition against every other candidate.
• I heard they're using the Condorcet method for the upcoming student council elections.
• The Condorcet method is like the ultimate showdown of candidates.
• Using the Condorcet method is like pitting candidates against each other in a political battle royale.

noun a situation in which a player is limited to moves that cost them the game or put them at a disadvantage

• In chess, zugzwang is a situation in which a player is forced to make a disadvantageous move because all other moves are even worse.
• I hate when I'm in zugzwang during a chess game; it feels like I have no good moves left.
• Being in zugzwang in chess is like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
• Sometimes in life, we can feel like we're in zugzwang, where every decision seems to lead to a negative outcome.

adjective A word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. In this case, 'adversarial' describes a relationship characterized by conflict or opposition.

• The legal system is designed to handle adversarial disputes between parties.
• They always seem to have an adversarial relationship with each other.
• Their interactions are so adversarial, it's like watching a cat fight.
• In nature, predators and prey have an adversarial relationship for survival.