cutthroat 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of cutthroatnext
as in ruthless
not guided by or showing a concern for what is right cutthroat business practices intended to drive competitors out of business

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cutthroat

2 of 2

noun

ˈkət-ˌthrōt How to pronounce cutthroat (audio)
as in assassin
a person who kills another person while traveling the ancient Silk Road, traders were constant prey to cutthroats and thieves

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 cutthroat
Adjective
Netflix says the competition will unfold as a large‑scale social experiment, blending strategy, alliances and cutthroat gameplay. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 14 July 2026 But Rosales said that tradition was fading, possibly another casualty of a more cutthroat political climate. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2026
Noun
Knowing the history of the cutthroat beer wars of the past is required to understand King Snedley’s unexpected appearance. — Bill Swank, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 June 2026 The show, which follows the cutthroat lives of luxury real estate agents at The Oppenheim Group in Los Angeles, first premiered in 2019. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 6 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for cutthroat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutthroat
  1. ruthless
  2. assassin
  3. immoral
  4. murderer
  5. corrupt
  6. killer
  7. unscrupulous
  8. unprincipled
Adjective
  • For Arsenal, the mission to create their best possible squad for depth and quality requires some upgrades in certain areas, and Berta won’t mind being ruthless if a sacrifice here leads to a new crowning there.
    — Kaya Kaynak, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Her portrayal of Abby Cunningham on Knots Landing helped define the prime-time soap’s appeal, with the character’s romances becoming just as talked about as her ruthless ambition.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruthless
Noun
  • Sharlto Copley brings ferocious life to his role as an assassin, setting a record in the process for the most times one person can have his head explode in a single film.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Created by Tessa Coates, Ride Or Die centers on an assassin, Judith (Waddingham), whose best friend of more than 20 years, MP’s wife Debbie (Spencer), is pulled into her latest case.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of assassin
Adjective
  • Neither Agamemnon nor Menelaus grasp that their actions toward their wives were immoral.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026
  • Some rabbinic readings attribute Lot’s hesitation to leave Sodom to his immoral greed and inordinate wealth.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Definition of immoral
Noun
  • To me, that is not the reaction of a woman who just found out her fiancé was a murderer.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The writer Larry Kramer branded him a murderer in an open letter published in 1988.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of murderer
Adjective
  • But if surveillance pricing seems corrupt or unethical, get ready.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Raids may temporarily remove leaders but leave corrupt relationships and financial machinery intact, allowing the organization to regenerate.
    — Robert Muggah, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Noun
  • Although gang ties to Tupac’s killing had been suspected from the beginning, the search for the killer was long hampered by the refusal of potential eyewitnesses to testify.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Set in the present, the movie tells the story of Kris (Hannah Einbinder), a young filmmaker who sets out to reboot an old slasher flick, Camp Miasma, haunted by a mysterious, helmeted killer named Little Death.
    — Alex Jhamb Burns, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of killer
Adjective
  • Magneto’s methods of fighting violence with violence may have sometimes been unscrupulous, but his ideology was always compelling, to X-Men members and viewers alike.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
  • True to form, the story is narrated by an unscrupulous wanna-be novelist named Bret Easton Ellis (Igby Rigney), a closet case lusting away for the new hunk at his cruel prep school.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of unscrupulous
Adjective
  • That doesn't enable cunning and unprincipled men to subvert the power of the people.
    — Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
  • Ditto his despicable aides and Cabinet members, his unprincipled sycophants and suck-ups.
    — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2026
Definition of unprincipled

Browse Nearby Words

cut the mustard
cutthroat
cutthroats
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Cite this Entry

“Cutthroat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cutthroat. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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