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
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
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Recent Examples of cutthroat
Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
Many praised both her work and her willingness to take personal risks in the cutthroat industry.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Currently, the state is on track to have some of the most expensive House races in the country this November, due in part to a wide open race in CD1 and a cutthroat race in CD6.
—Amanda Luberto, AZCentral.com, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cutthroat
Adjective
The cutthroat nature of that process raised eyebrows around the league.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
Many praised both her work and her willingness to take personal risks in the cutthroat industry.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Noun
The new faces of the sport, in this new generation of figure skaters, promote congeniality much more than cutthroat competitiveness.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Currently, the state is on track to have some of the most expensive House races in the country this November, due in part to a wide open race in CD1 and a cutthroat race in CD6.
—Amanda Luberto, AZCentral.com, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cutthroat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutthroat
Adjective
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There’s also just one overwhelming evil force in this play — the Nazis — whereas Dumas had his musketeers fighting not just ruthless government officials but royalty, religious leaders and nobles.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
-
With a lesser interpreter in the role, Eva might have read more reductively as just a ruthless bureaucratic leader.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Intense interest persists around his murder because the assassin has never been caught.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Mar. 2026
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Shapiro is Jewish and was targeted by a would-be assassin who firebombed the governor's mansion last year.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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More and more people are avoiding dating or befriending those with opposing political views, and growing numbers describe those on the other side as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent.—
Justin Callais,
Twin Cities,
5 Mar. 2026
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More and more people are avoiding dating or befriending those with opposing political views, and growing numbers describe those on the other side as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent.—
Justin Callais,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These countries must make their duty clear to the invaders of our beloved homeland and the murderers of our people.—
Haley Ott,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
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The closing sequence, where Scarpetta is chased through her home by the murderer, was filmed on the final day of shooting.—
Emily Zemler,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And right now, these corrupt billionaires, these greedy corporations, are determining all avenues of our life, all types of policies.—
Jim DeFede,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
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Just as all British became painted as corrupt as part of their national character, so too did all Native people become seen as savage by their biological nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In Bishop, homicide detective Bishop Graves (Kinnaman) – brilliant, battle-scarred – will put all of his skills to the test in the hunt for an elusive killer targeting San Francisco’s moneyed class.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
12 Mar. 2026
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Vance Boelter, their alleged killer, was indicted on six federal charges and could face the death penalty.—
Chloe Rosen,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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According to investigative reports, unscrupulous lawyers collude with medical mills and lawsuit financiers to recruit immigrants and people experiencing homelessness to orchestrate accidents, arrange unnecessary surgeries and cash in on inflated settlements.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
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Perhaps more disturbing is the effect AI could have on the system if generative writing programs are used by unscrupulous parties to create phoney evidence.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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How pathetically far this blithering, unprincipled piece of trash has gone to endanger other lives, to expressly distract and deflect from his own wicked deeds, and to further benefit his grifting family’s larcenously enlarged bounties.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
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In every era a certain kind of unprincipled demagogue driven by an insatiable need for attention and a sense of what will capture the public’s imagination rises to the fore.—
Mark Lilla,
The New York Review of Books,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cutthroat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cutthroat. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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