Synonyms of cutting

cutting 1 of 3

adjective

1

as in biting

causing intense discomfort to one's skin

a frigid day with a cutting wind that made it seem even colder

Synonyms & Similar Words

• biting
• sharp
• bitter
• penetrating
• piercing
• stinging
• brisk
• keen
• raw
• shrewd
• smarting
• caustic
• corrosive
• snappy
• invigorating
• prickly
• needlelike
• tingling
• nippy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• mild
• gentle
• soothing
• balmy

2

as in sharpened

having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something

the cutting side of the sword blade

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sharpened
• sharp
• ground
• edged
• jagged
• honed
• trenchant
• edgy
• keen
• stropped
• piercing
• scratching
• stabbing
• whetted
• lacerating
• knifelike
• clawlike
• jabbing
• pointed
• spiky
• daggerlike
• pointy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• blunt
• dull
• smooth
• rounded
• soft
• blunted
• flat
• obtuse
• dulled
• level
• even
• slick

3

as in satiric

marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings

her cutting comments serve only one purpose: to make someone cry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• satiric
• sarcastic
• barbed
• acid
• biting
• acidic
• caustic
• sharp
• corrosive
• scathing
• tart
• sardonic
• acrid
• mordant
• acerbic
• pungent
• cross
• scalding
• ironic
• blunt
• harsh
• acidulous
• cynical
• dry
• spiky
• snarky
• concise
• sour
• smart-aleck
• acerb
• severe
• brisk
• smart-alecky
• incisive
• smart-mouthed
• trenchant
• keen
• abrupt
• poignant
• stringent
• flippant
• tartish
• crisp
• wry
• curt
• rough
• facetious
• bitter
• acrimonious
• pithy
• resentful
• brusque
• gruff
• sourish
• vitriolic
• succinct
• sharp-tongued
• terse
• backhanded
• insincere
• tongue-in-cheek
• snippy
• snippety

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• amusing
• gentle
• merry
• mild
• playful
• smooth
• bland
• diplomatic
• droll
• sportive
• waggish
• polite
• cordial
• hospitable
• urbane
• gracious
• good-natured
• genial
• sociable
• good-humored
• affable
• suave

cutting

2 of 3

noun

ˈkə-tiŋ 

as in slice

a piece that has been separated from the whole by cutting

a bag full of grass cuttings

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slice
• cut
• portion
• length
• segment
• section
• chop
• part
• chunk
• clipping
• sliver
• shaving
• splinter
• paring
• cutlet
• hunk
• lump
• snippet

cutting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of cut

1

as in slicing

to penetrate with a sharp edge (as a knife)

I cut my hand on a piece of broken glass

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slicing
• slitting
• slashing
• ripping
• splitting
• stabbing
• bruising
• piercing
• shearing
• sawing
• chopping
• incising
• gashing
• severing
• tearing
• cleaving
• carving
• crosscutting
• chipping
• dissecting
• scissoring
• mangling
• sectioning
• rending
• hacksawing
• riving
• lacerating
• butchering
• chiseling
• haggling
• notching
• hacking
• dicing
• mincing
• amputating
• cutting off
• anatomizing

2

as in skipping

to fail to attend

a warning that she had been cutting too many classes without valid excuses

Synonyms & Similar Words

• skipping
• missing
• ignoring
• blowing off
• playing hooky
• absenting oneself
• neglecting
• passing over

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• attending
• showing up (for)

3

as in isolating

to deliberately ignore or treat rudely

the snobbish lady cut anyone who didn't meet her standards of wealth and social standing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• isolating
• rejecting
• snubbing
• repulsing
• stiffing
• repelling
• slighting
• neglecting
• forgetting
• stiff-arming
• high-hatting
• ostracizing
• cold-shouldering
• spurning
• overlooking
• disdaining
• disregarding
• scorning
• rebuffing
• brushing (aside or off)
• passing over
• shrugging off
• overpassing

4

as in shaving

to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument

when you cut the pad, make it a little smaller than the carpet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shaving
• trimming
• clipping
• mowing
• shearing
• paring
• pruning
• snipping
• cropping
• bobbing
• cutting back
• docking
• polling
• nipping
• lopping (off)
• whittling
• shortening
• curtailing
• skiving
• pinching
• manicuring
• stumping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extending
• lengthening
• elongating

5

as in mowing

to shorten the standing leafy plant cover of

you need to cut the lawn very soon—before it becomes a jungle

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mowing
• shaving
• pruning
• trimming
• clipping
• curtailing
• paring
• cropping
• lopping
• cutting back
• hacking
• shearing
• docking
• snipping
• manicuring
• nipping
• bobbing

6

as in diluting

to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances

the fruit juice was so cut with water that it was barely a fruit-flavored drink

Synonyms & Similar Words

• diluting
• loading
• thinning
• polluting
• manipulating
• infecting
• weakening
• poisoning
• extending
• adulterating
• spoiling
• dirtying
• contaminating
• tainting
• lacing
• degrading
• sophisticating
• watering down
• soiling
• tempering
• corrupting
• misrepresenting
• debasing
• fouling
• defiling
• spiking
• tampering (with)
• falsifying
• moderating
• cheapening
• sullying
• attenuating
• counterfeiting
• doctoring
• qualifying
• faking
• befouling
• fudging
• envenoming

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strengthening
• enriching
• reinforcing
• fertilizing
• fortifying
• augmenting
• supplementing
• improving
• cleaning
• purifying
• purging
• refining
• filtering
• richening
• enhancing
• clarifying
• cleansing
• flushing
• larding
• leaching
• distilling
• pasteurizing
• decontaminating
• concentrating
• bettering
• condensing
• compacting

7

as in veering

to depart abruptly from a straight line or course

cut towards the goal, eluding a defender

Synonyms & Similar Words

• veering
• turning
• curving
• circling
• bowing
• breaking
• swerving
• wandering
• yawing
• sweeping
• bending
• weaving
• sheering
• arching
• twisting
• curling
• zagging
• zigging
• rounding
• skewing
• pivoting
• hooking
• winding
• looping
• spiraling
• arcing
• coiling
• zigzagging
• wheeling
• deviating
• slewing
• wavering
• straying
• crooking
• about-facing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straightening

8

as in intersecting

to divide by passing through or across

a long mountain range virtually cuts that country in half

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intersecting
• crossing
• bisecting
• crisscrossing
• decussating

9

as in analyzing

to identify and examine the basic elements or parts of (something) especially for discovering interrelationships

whichever way you cut it, we won't be seeing any profits from the business for at least three years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• analyzing
• dissecting
• examining
• assessing
• diagnosing
• investigating
• dividing
• evaluating
• deconstructing
• assaying
• inspecting
• anatomizing
• scrutinizing
• reducing
• breaking down
• classifying
• sorting
• arranging
• separating
• tabulating
• subdividing
• categorizing
• indexing
• ordering
• cataloging
• codifying
• segmenting
• enumerating
• assorting
• schematizing
• diagramming

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• integrating
• consolidating
• aggregating
• synthesizing
• amalgamating
• assimilating
• unifying
• coalescing
• agglomerating
• conglomerating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cutting

Verb

The finding highlights the challenge that could lie ahead if the county’s mayor and commissioners try to significantly reduce property-tax spending without cutting pay or services in those areas. — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026

In 2025, 8086 kilograms of denim waste from cutting-table offcuts, testing and second-choice samples was converted into 600 boards. — Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026

Many are worried that cutting Alzheimer’s research under the guise of the anti-DEI movement could negatively impact patients, specifically those who are Black. — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 21 Aug. 2026

That injury prompted the 49ers to re-sign Herbert, three days after cutting him. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026

The new benefit will cost the state dearly and fall particularly hard on local governments, which have been cutting services and raising taxes to pay their escalating pension bills. — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2026

The blade can make light work of opening packages, cutting cord, slicing through leather, and more. — New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2026

The plan included cutting European production capacity by 800,000 but provided no details. — Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Then the major studios started pulling back on spending, cutting episode counts and greenlighting fewer overall series. — Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026

Phrases Containing cutting

• cutting edge