Synonyms of cutting

cutting 1 of 3

adjective

1

as in biting

causing intense discomfort to one's skin

a frigid day with a cutting wind that made it seem even colder

Synonyms & Similar Words

• biting
• sharp
• bitter
• penetrating
• piercing
• stinging
• brisk
• keen
• raw
• shrewd
• smarting
• caustic
• corrosive
• snappy
• invigorating
• prickly
• needlelike
• tingling
• nippy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• mild
• gentle
• soothing
• balmy

2

as in sharpened

having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something

the cutting side of the sword blade

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sharpened
• sharp
• ground
• edged
• jagged
• honed
• trenchant
• edgy
• keen
• stropped
• piercing
• scratching
• stabbing
• whetted
• lacerating
• knifelike
• clawlike
• jabbing
• pointed
• spiky
• daggerlike
• pointy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• blunt
• dull
• smooth
• rounded
• soft
• blunted
• flat
• obtuse
• dulled
• level
• even
• slick

3

as in satiric

marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings

her cutting comments serve only one purpose: to make someone cry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• satiric
• sarcastic
• barbed
• acid
• biting
• acidic
• caustic
• sharp
• corrosive
• scathing
• tart
• sardonic
• acrid
• mordant
• acerbic
• pungent
• cross
• scalding
• ironic
• blunt
• harsh
• acidulous
• cynical
• dry
• spiky
• snarky
• concise
• sour
• smart-aleck
• acerb
• severe
• brisk
• smart-alecky
• incisive
• smart-mouthed
• trenchant
• keen
• abrupt
• poignant
• stringent
• flippant
• tartish
• crisp
• wry
• curt
• rough
• facetious
• bitter
• acrimonious
• pithy
• resentful
• brusque
• gruff
• sourish
• vitriolic
• succinct
• sharp-tongued
• terse
• backhanded
• insincere
• tongue-in-cheek
• snippy
• snippety

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• amusing
• gentle
• merry
• mild
• playful
• smooth
• bland
• diplomatic
• droll
• sportive
• waggish
• polite
• cordial
• hospitable
• urbane
• gracious
• good-natured
• genial
• sociable
• good-humored
• affable
• suave

cutting

2 of 3

noun

ˈkə-tiŋ 

as in slice

a piece that has been separated from the whole by cutting

a bag full of grass cuttings

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slice
• cut
• portion
• length
• segment
• section
• chop
• part
• chunk
• clipping
• sliver
• shaving
• splinter
• paring
• cutlet
• hunk
• lump
• snippet

cutting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of cut

1

as in slicing

to penetrate with a sharp edge (as a knife)

I cut my hand on a piece of broken glass

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slicing
• slitting
• slashing
• ripping
• splitting
• stabbing
• bruising
• piercing
• shearing
• sawing
• chopping
• incising
• gashing
• severing
• tearing
• cleaving
• carving
• crosscutting
• chipping
• dissecting
• scissoring
• mangling
• sectioning
• rending
• hacksawing
• riving
• lacerating
• butchering
• chiseling
• haggling
• notching
• hacking
• dicing
• mincing
• amputating
• cutting off
• anatomizing

2

as in skipping

to fail to attend

a warning that she had been cutting too many classes without valid excuses

Synonyms & Similar Words

• skipping
• missing
• ignoring
• blowing off
• playing hooky
• absenting oneself
• neglecting
• passing over

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• attending
• showing up (for)

3

as in isolating

to deliberately ignore or treat rudely

the snobbish lady cut anyone who didn't meet her standards of wealth and social standing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• isolating
• rejecting
• snubbing
• repulsing
• stiffing
• repelling
• slighting
• neglecting
• forgetting
• stiff-arming
• high-hatting
• ostracizing
• cold-shouldering
• spurning
• overlooking
• disdaining
• disregarding
• scorning
• rebuffing
• brushing (aside or off)
• passing over
• shrugging off
• overpassing

4

as in shaving

to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument

when you cut the pad, make it a little smaller than the carpet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shaving
• trimming
• clipping
• mowing
• shearing
• paring
• pruning
• snipping
• cropping
• bobbing
• cutting back
• docking
• polling
• nipping
• lopping (off)
• whittling
• shortening
• curtailing
• skiving
• pinching
• manicuring
• stumping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extending
• lengthening
• elongating

5

as in mowing

to shorten the standing leafy plant cover of

you need to cut the lawn very soon—before it becomes a jungle

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mowing
• shaving
• pruning
• trimming
• clipping
• curtailing
• paring
• cropping
• lopping
• cutting back
• hacking
• shearing
• docking
• snipping
• manicuring
• nipping
• bobbing

6

as in diluting

to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances

the fruit juice was so cut with water that it was barely a fruit-flavored drink

Synonyms & Similar Words

• diluting
• loading
• thinning
• polluting
• manipulating
• infecting
• weakening
• poisoning
• extending
• adulterating
• spoiling
• dirtying
• contaminating
• tainting
• lacing
• degrading
• sophisticating
• watering down
• soiling
• tempering
• corrupting
• misrepresenting
• debasing
• fouling
• defiling
• spiking
• tampering (with)
• falsifying
• moderating
• cheapening
• sullying
• attenuating
• counterfeiting
• doctoring
• qualifying
• faking
• befouling
• fudging
• envenoming

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strengthening
• enriching
• reinforcing
• fertilizing
• fortifying
• augmenting
• supplementing
• improving
• cleaning
• purifying
• purging
• refining
• filtering
• richening
• enhancing
• clarifying
• cleansing
• flushing
• larding
• leaching
• distilling
• pasteurizing
• decontaminating
• concentrating
• bettering
• condensing
• compacting

7

as in veering

to depart abruptly from a straight line or course

cut towards the goal, eluding a defender

Synonyms & Similar Words

• veering
• turning
• curving
• circling
• bowing
• breaking
• swerving
• wandering
• yawing
• sweeping
• bending
• weaving
• sheering
• arching
• twisting
• curling
• zagging
• zigging
• rounding
• skewing
• pivoting
• hooking
• winding
• looping
• spiraling
• arcing
• coiling
• zigzagging
• wheeling
• deviating
• slewing
• wavering
• straying
• crooking
• about-facing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straightening

8

as in intersecting

to divide by passing through or across

a long mountain range virtually cuts that country in half

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intersecting
• crossing
• bisecting
• crisscrossing
• decussating

9

as in analyzing

to identify and examine the basic elements or parts of (something) especially for discovering interrelationships

whichever way you cut it, we won't be seeing any profits from the business for at least three years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• analyzing
• dissecting
• examining
• assessing
• diagnosing
• investigating
• dividing
• evaluating
• deconstructing
• assaying
• inspecting
• anatomizing
• scrutinizing
• reducing
• breaking down
• classifying
• sorting
• arranging
• separating
• tabulating
• subdividing
• categorizing
• indexing
• ordering
• cataloging
• codifying
• segmenting
• enumerating
• assorting
• schematizing
• diagramming

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• integrating
• consolidating
• aggregating
• synthesizing
• amalgamating
• assimilating
• unifying
• coalescing
• agglomerating
• conglomerating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cutting

Verb

Three people were arrested earlier this week after Woodland police found heavy-gauge copper wire and cutting tools in their vehicle near a community center where wiring had been stolen from about 10 light poles, authorities said. — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026

My focus is cutting traffic gridlock through AI light synchronization, equipping police with advanced tech, protecting residential zoning against over-development, and streamlining municipal permitting with strict fiscal accountability. — Miami Herald Staff, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026

Warsh hasn’t been able to act yet on one of his key priorities, cutting the Fed’s balance sheet, in part because inflation is a more pressing concern. — Steve Liesman,matt Peterson, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

Likewise, the United Arab Emirates used its pipeline cutting across neighboring Oman to Fujairah — a route that skirts the strait. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026

In one, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the new White House helipad, a project the president has shown tremendous pride in, he couldn’t be heard over the cacophonous din of Marine One. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026

Ohler also warns against cutting too much into the plant, as this can damage other plant components tucked near the fern’s base. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 24 Sep. 2026

By cutting the number of working holiday visas, critics say, the government risks causing more economic pain. — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026

Council members want the DWM to start cutting customers off to collect on what’s due. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Phrases Containing cutting

• cutting edge