CUTTHROAT Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

cutthroat 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of cutthroat

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cutthroat

2 of 2

noun

ˈkət-ˌthrōt

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

That group of gals came to the realization that the experience had now become more of a cutthroat game. — Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Amid the stresses of the Arctic, scientists are rethinking the idea that all life is a cutthroat competition with winners and losers. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026

Noun

Coming off a cutthroat season that drew the most viewers back to the program in a decade, the competition coming this fall is already gearing up to be one for the books. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for cutthroat

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutthroat

Adjective

Within hours, their yacht vanishes, Matt is abducted by a gang of ruthless pirates led by Langbore (Copley), and paradise becomes a trap.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Arsenal created more than enough to help themselves to a bunch of goals in Naples, only to get stuck in anti-ruthless mode.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of ruthless

Noun

Across Greengrass’ three Bourne movies, the elite assassin turns against the clandestine institution that created him, determined to escape its grip and bring its covert operations to light.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
Before Atlanta, the girls weren’t judged as heavily based on their reads or confessional assassin abilities.

— Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of assassin

Noun

This season focuses on a woman and alleged murderer who is ultimately never found guilty of any crime.

— Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
The concert featured both solo sets from Osbourne and a reunion of the original Sabbath lineup for the first time in more than two decades, along with a murderer’s row of performers influenced by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame icon.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of murderer

Adjective

Even as the country’s leadership grew more corrupt and repressive, Moscow kept getting more dazzling.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
Beyond the shimmying visit, the mystery of who killed Victor is expected to motor the sophomore season’s overarching storyline, including digging into people from the corrupt politician’s shady past.

— Emily Krauser, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of corrupt

Noun

The use of an ECG alone has detection levels of up to 85 per cent, but some studies suggest an even greater rate for what are known as ‘silent killers’, where the vast majority display no symptoms before cardiac arrest.

— Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Shortly after Hollander was identified as the assumed killer, the rest of his car was searched and police started to suspect him in another murder case with similar details.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of killer

Adjective

In 2026, how reasonable are fears that AI, either by escaping human control or through misuse by unscrupulous people, could cause a cataclysmic event or the downfall of civilization?

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Mehring’s characters include petty criminals, unscrupulous lawyers, Galician Jews, Freikorps heavies, local and international businessmen, Prussian generals, and the everyday citizens inhabiting the streets of Berlin’s old and rather dingy center.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026