cutthroat

1 of 2

noun

cut·​throat ˈkət-ˌthrōt How to pronounce cutthroat (audio)
Synonyms of cutthroatnext
1
2
: a cruel unprincipled person

cutthroat

2 of 2

adjective

1
2
: marked by unprincipled practices : ruthless
cutthroat competition
3
: characterized by each player playing independently rather than having a permanent partner
used especially of partnership games adapted for three players
cutthroat bridge

Examples of cutthroat in a Sentence

Noun while traveling the ancient Silk Road, traders were constant prey to cutthroats and thieves Adjective cutthroat business practices intended to drive competitors out of business
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Not because of a lack of talent, but because of the cutthroat recruiting process that specialists now endure. Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 27 Nov. 2025 Ever since its London premiere in 1986, folks have tried and failed to crack this convoluted curio of a musical, which follows a Cold War-era love triangle set in the cutthroat world of competitive chess. Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Beauty is cutthroat, and Sephora has been designing next-gen stores. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2025 Frogposting, then, pits the intractably byzantine, soulless and cutthroat nature of the contemporary economy in a simple binary against what the posters envision as the green, healthy, naturalness of the Earth—framed as a joke, the base unit of online commentary. Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cutthroat

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cutthroat was in 1535

Cite this Entry

“Cutthroat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cutthroat. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

cutthroat

1 of 2 noun
cut·​throat ˈkət-ˌthrōt How to pronounce cutthroat (audio)
1
: a person likely to cut someone's throat
2
: a cruel person with no scruples

cutthroat

2 of 2 adjective
: ruthless
cutthroat competition

More from Merriam-Webster on cutthroat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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