cutting edge

noun

1
: a sharp effect or quality
2
: the foremost part or place : vanguard
cutting-edge adjective

Examples of cutting edge in a Sentence

a company that has always been on the cutting edge of the new electronic media He's a director who tries to keep his films right on the cutting edge.
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.
Yet our understanding of that reality, even today, remains limited and incomplete, with many hoping that the cutting edge of science will soon lead to breakthroughs enhancing our current understanding. Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 9 Sep. 2025 The jury in the Orizzonti section, dedicated to features at the cutting edge of the art form, is led by director Julia Ducournau along with Italian director Yuri Ancarani, Argentine film critic Fernando Enrique Juan Lima, Australian director Shannon Murphy, and American filmmaker RaMell Ross. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025 Companies like Intuitive Surgical or Abbott Laboratories who are on the cutting edge of medicine will keep pushing those spaces forward. Steven Dudash, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Looking back on the process, Kojima laments that his goal was to make extremely realistic renders of his subjects (Refn included), but even with cutting edge technology there remains room for improvement. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cutting edge

Word History

First Known Use

1804, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cutting edge was in 1804

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cutting edge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cutting%20edge. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

cutting edge

noun
1
: the sharp edge of a cutting tool
2
: the newest and most advanced area of an activity
cutting-edge adjective
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!