cutting-edge 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of cutting-edgenext
as in advanced
being or employing the latest concepts, styles, or techniques his insistent tracking shots and rapid-fire pacing earned him a reputation as a cutting-edge filmmaker

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cutting edge

2 of 2

noun

1
as in vanguard
the innovators of new concepts, styles, and techniques especially in the arts an urban enclave that has an established reputation for being hospitable to artists who are part of the cutting edge

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forefront
the leading or most important part of a movement a company that has always been on the cutting edge of the new electronic media

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cutting-edge
Noun
Berlin has moved from the cutting edge of cool to become a cultural capital, part of the establishment. — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2025 Not that there’s anything wrong with an organization hiring a bright, young mind to run a team or defense – to seek and harness the cutting edge of the game’s progress. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2025 If many companies can operate with cheaper, good-enough AI, how much investment should flow into the technology’s cutting edge? — Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Jan. 2025 United are playing catch up at this cutting edge of the football industry and, despite making progress, there are no quick fixes. — Mark Carey, The Athletic, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cutting-edge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutting-edge
  1. advanced
  2. vanguard
  3. forefront
  4. progressive
  5. underground
  6. leading edge
  7. pioneer
  8. unconventional
Adjective
  • In addition, the Pentagon's future stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, will have many of the same cutting edge technologies in advanced materials, AI, propulsion and stealth.
    — TARA COPP THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, arkansasonline.com, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Most experts agree that this is the most critical and challenging aspect of implementing an advanced CX analytics strategy.
    — Forrester, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of advanced
Noun
  • The Little Review, the radical and short-lived magazine helmed by Jane Heap and Margaret Anderson, was a vanguard of modernism in American culture.
    — Francesca Wade, The New York Review of Books, 28 Nov. 2024
  • Black communities are usually at the creative vanguard, from Renaissance art movements to fashion and even colloquialisms.
    — Jasmine Browley, Essence, 3 Mar. 2025
Definition of vanguard
Noun
  • In the aftermath of the pandemic, companies are still working to diversify and localize their supply networks, with risk and resilience at the forefront of the supply chain agenda.
    — Eran Mizrahi, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • The recent criminalization bills also include fetal personhood rhetoric—a legal doctrine at the forefront of the fight over reproductive rights that aims to give an embryo and fetus the legal rights of people.
    — Chantelle Lee, TIME, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of forefront
Adjective
  • Moskowitz has the lowest rating of any Florida Democrat in scoring by Progressive Punch, which produces a database of congressional voting records from a progressive perspective.
    — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Sinema also noted progressive leader Rep. Pramila Jayapal's (D-Wash.) demands for Schumer to filibuster.
    — Justin Green, Axios, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of progressive
Noun
  • Salt water from the ocean or underground is rich in minerals and may provide the body with magnesium.
    — Susan Bard, Health, 18 Mar. 2025
  • The property would include 36 parking spaces — 22 surface-level and 14 underground.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of underground
Noun
  • These high priority recommendations are aimed at building a national conversation and consensus around new directions for the country as technology and innovation take center stage, and building new foundations for the U.S. capacity for innovation at the leading edge.
    — Deborah Wince-Smith, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
  • The world hasn’t blown up — yet. Can’t be controlled One crucial difference, however, is that nuclear weapons could have been developed only by a few specialized scientists at the leading edge of their fields.
    — Zeynep Tufekci, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2025
Definition of leading edge
Noun
  • The menu lists 10 varieties of premium cuts, ranging from Japanese A5 wagyu striploin to bavette from Snake River Farms, known as pioneers of American wagyu.
    — Spencer Whaley, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Look for clinics that pioneer advancements rather than simply follow trends.
    — Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of pioneer
Adjective
  • Across sports and eras, there are too many examples of athletes with ‘unconventional’ form succeeding for ‘good form’ — whatever that is — to be truly necessary.
    — Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Barnes had an unconventional approach to art collecting, particularly through his focus on juxtaposing fine art with decorative pieces.
    — Meredith Wolf Schizer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of unconventional

Browse Nearby Words

cutting edge
cutting-edge
cutting edges
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cutting-edge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cutting-edge. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All