parasitism
/ˈpɛrəsaɪtɪzəm/
noun
- A relationship between two living things in which one (the parasite) lives on or inside the other (the host) and benefits at the host's expense.
- Unlike mutualism, parasitism harms the host organism.
- The study of parasitism helps scientists understand how diseases spread.
- Parasitism is common in nature, from tapeworms in animals to mistletoe on trees.
- A way of life in which a person or group lives off others without giving anything in return, often in a harmful way.
- The novel explores the parasitism of the wealthy elite who exploit the poor.
- Some people view freeloading as a form of social parasitism.
- The government criticized the parasitism of corporations that take subsidies without creating jobs.
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