lemmings
Tundra's small herbivores
Lemmings are small Arctic rodents known for dramatic population cycles.
The plural appears far more often than the singular because lemmings are famous for supposed mass migrations ending in suicidal cliff dives—a myth popularized by a 1958 Disney documentary that staged the footage.
The word now typically describes people who follow others blindly toward destruction: Don't be lemmings—think for yourselves.
Short-tailed field rodent
- hamsterSmall burrowing pet rodent
- gerbilSmall burrowing pet rodent
- muskratSemiaquatic North American rodent
- shrewIll-tempered woman, or insectivore
fur · whiskers · tail · burrowing · scurrying · incisors · gnawing · foraging
Group killing themselves together
- misconceptionErroneous belief or understanding
- DisneyMajor entertainment conglomerate
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
- urban legendUnverified viral story
misinformation · debunked · fallacy · propaganda · pseudo-science · fabrication · popular belief
Challenge testing ingenuity
- blockerSomething that obstructs
- diggerOne who unearths
- builderOne who erects structures
- basherHarsh critic or striker
floater · bomber · climber · miner · pixel · DOS · Amiga · escort
Mass of moving insects
- hordeDisorganized, overwhelming crowd
- massQuantity of matter
- throngDense pressing crowd
- multitudeVery large number
pack · collective · crowd behavior · groupthink · mob mentality · herd instinct · conformity · followers
Spreading in many directions
- mass movementOrganized collective action
- journeyTravel from place to place
- crossingPoint where paths intersect
- driftGradual movement, no direction
swarm · exodus · wandering · boom and bust · overcrowding · seasonal · river crossing · surge
vole
Short-tailed field rodent
- hamsterSmall burrowing pet rodent
- gerbilSmall burrowing pet rodent
- muskratSemiaquatic North American rodent
shrew · fur · whiskers · tail · burrowing · scurrying · incisors · gnawing · foraging · tundra
mass suicide
Group killing themselves together
- misconceptionErroneous belief or understanding
- DisneyMajor entertainment conglomerate
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
urban legend · misinformation · debunked · fallacy · propaganda · pseudo-science · fabrication · popular belief
puzzle
Challenge testing ingenuity
basher · floater · bomber · climber · miner · pixel · DOS · Amiga · escort · pathfinding
swarm
Mass of moving insects
multitude · pack · collective · crowd behavior · groupthink · mob mentality · herd instinct · conformity · followers
dispersal
Spreading in many directions
- mass movementOrganized collective action
- journeyTravel from place to place
- crossingPoint where paths intersect
drift · swarm · exodus · wandering · boom and bust · overcrowding · seasonal · river crossing · surge
- ArcticArctic Circle, Arctic Ocean, Arctic wildlife, Arctic exploration, Arctic research
- polar regionsAntarctica, polar bears, Arctic Ocean, glaciers, Arctic
- Northern wildlifereindeer, arctic fox, polar bear, moose, musk ox
- plant-eatersherbivores, grazers, browsers, cows, horses
- rodentsmouse, rat, guinea pig, squirrel, mice
- small mammalsmouse, mice, rat, rats, hamster
lemmingsfreethinkers
Independent-minded questioners of orthodoxy
nonconformists · mavericks · individualists · iconoclasts · free spirits
lemmingsleaders
Those with authority
trailblazers · pioneers · trendsetters · pathfinders · innovators