cutting-edge 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of cutting-edgenext
as in advanced
being or employing the latest concepts, styles, or techniques his insistent tracking shots and rapid-fire pacing earned him a reputation as a cutting-edge filmmaker

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cutting edge

2 of 2

noun

1
as in vanguard
the innovators of new concepts, styles, and techniques especially in the arts an urban enclave that has an established reputation for being hospitable to artists who are part of the cutting edge

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forefront
the leading or most important part of a movement a company that has always been on the cutting edge of the new electronic media

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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 cutting-edge
Adjective
The frontier lab’s figures are seen as key to understanding underlying demand for cutting-edge AI models, as well as justifying the huge global spending on tech infrastructure. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026 As a genre that sustains narrative variety and experimentation through cutting-edge style, horror almost certainly produces more than any one fan has time to find, let alone watch. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
Noun
Most Read Reviews Appropriately enough for two musicians working at the cutting edge of this underground, Bowery Electric’s Martha Schwendener and Lawrence Chandler met while working at pre-fab master Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026 The cutting edge of this debate is happening in cryptography, where AI has completely changed popular understandings of trust and assurance. — Ali El Kaafarani, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cutting-edge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutting-edge
  1. advanced
  2. vanguard
  3. forefront
  4. progressive
  5. underground
  6. leading edge
  7. pioneering
  8. pioneer
Adjective
  • Yet, as in many speculative markets, sophisticated participants often have access to better information, stronger analytical tools and more advanced risk-management techniques than retail participants, giving them an informational edge.
    — Aneri Jambusaria, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • This week, Ukraine also did not receive advanced warning from partners of incoming ballistic missiles, resulting in civilian deaths, according to Ukrainian officials.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of advanced
Noun
  • The masthead means to identify vanguard critics, poets, and authors for a lively new readership.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Madonna, host Snoop Dogg and this year’s video vanguard recipient Nirvana also have strong appeal to an older demo.
    — Paul Grein, Billboard, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of vanguard
Noun
  • Hamilton’s church, the Church of the Resurrection, was at the forefront of making the Methodist church more inclusive of LGBTQ congregants, but many churches also supported the change.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The best memories can sometimes come to the forefront, but Jay’s first memories of his dad are really tragic ones.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of forefront
Adjective
  • The false polling data from Wedgewood Polls consistently favored Democrats, particularly progressive candidates.
    — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The tension between conservative and progressive Methodists had been simmering for years.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of progressive
Noun
  • Storing heat underground uses the same principle, though in reverse.
    — Moones Alamooti, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Most Read Reviews Appropriately enough for two musicians working at the cutting edge of this underground, Bowery Electric’s Martha Schwendener and Lawrence Chandler met while working at pre-fab master Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of underground
Noun
  • Recovery tech is becoming a lifestyle category, and the compression boot sits on the leading edge of it, welcomed by anyone who wants to keep moving without waking up stiff.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Woven throughout is a spotlight on SCAD students and alumni working at the leading edge of animation, motion-media design and visual effects.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of leading edge
Adjective
  • Auchincloss compares it to the pioneering clinical trial model that the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation built in the 1990s to study the disease.
    — Gerry Smith, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • As with their neighbors to the south, residents of Canada’s western prairie and mountain provinces take pride in a pioneering spirit and rugged independence that have enabled them to prosper in often harsh terrain.
    — the Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of pioneering
Noun
  • In a statement sent to The Charlotte Observer, her daughter Hatiya Dunlap said Leeper was a multifaceted broadcasting pioneer whose lasting legacy extends far beyond her on-air work.
    — Chase Jordan October 20, Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Founded in 1986 in Guadalajara, Mexico, Maná is considered a pioneer of rock en español.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of pioneer

Browse Nearby Words

cutting (down)
cutting-edge
cutting edge
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Cite this Entry

“Cutting-edge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cutting-edge. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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