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

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

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 cutting-edge
Adjective
The frontier models—the most advanced, cutting-edge AI systems— are closed completely and the trend is accelerating. — David Siegel, Fortune, 3 July 2026 If an employee does not understand that their digital behavior impacts business continuity, no investment in cutting-edge software will be enough. — Vicente Pava, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Noun
To be sure, Google’s AI computing ambitions face plenty of competition, and investment in innovation is required to stay on the cutting edge. — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 27 June 2026 Smith says taking smart risks to stay on the cutting edge is essential. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 June 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
  • Audio from the original 911 call appeared to indicate McConnell was unconscious when emergency crews were dispatched, and the dispatcher requested an advanced life support response.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 11 July 2026
  • The Cheswick campus spans 118 acres, where Curtiss-Wright designs, manufactures, and tests advanced solutions critical to naval defense and commercial nuclear markets.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 11 July 2026
Definition of advanced
Noun
  • Columbia waded into the rock vanguard after Davis attended the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967 at the behest of its organizer Lou Adler, whose Ode Records was distributed by CBS.
    — Chris Morris, Variety, 22 June 2026
  • Linklater was a vanguard of the indie film movement of the 1990s.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
Definition of vanguard
Noun
  • The New Jersey Fives have been at the forefront of this effort, now counting multiple Fortune 1000 companies as partners, and is one of the few franchises pushing the envelope in terms of creativity and uniqueness.
    — Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • Jones-Robinson is positioned at the forefront of a rapidly growing sport.
    — Synai Ferrell, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Definition of forefront
Adjective
  • In the Green New Deal discussion, though, this hypothetical meat ban effectively functioned as metaphorical shortcut for progressive political overreach.
    — David Rooney, The Conversation, 10 July 2026
  • By the early 1990s, Eugene had earned itself a reputation as a beacon of progressive-minded irreverence, drawing a pungent mix of weirdos, iconoclasts, and freethinkers.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Definition of progressive
Noun
  • For the past half-decade, evilgiane and his Surf Gang collective have had their hands all over the quirkiest and most effervescent sounds of rap’s underground and mainstream.
    — Oba Awolowo, Pitchfork, 3 July 2026
  • Taking the dance sensation out of New York's gay underground and on the road, the singer vogued her way around the world on her 1990 Blond Ambition Tour, which kicked off in Japan that April.
    — Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026
Definition of underground
Noun
  • Whether these cases are isolated incidents or the leading edge of something far more consequential is a question that law enforcement and researchers are only beginning to confront.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 7 July 2026
  • By this point, the city had become the leading edge of a national issue.
    — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
Definition of leading edge
Adjective
  • From the earliest pioneering expeditions and nighttime escapes from bondage to the modern-day road trip, Americans are a people on the move – restless, ambitious and innovative.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • This new adaptation promises to bring the pioneering adventures of the Ingalls family to a new generation, and has already been renewed for a second season.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 July 2026
Definition of pioneering
Noun
  • Baby Carrie has not been born yet at the start of the series, in part so the show could explore pioneer pregnancy and childbirth.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • Biologists ranging from the evolutionary theorist Ernst Mayr to the pioneer of molecular biology Jacques Monod have acknowledged that.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 8 July 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 15 Jul. 2026.

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