CUTTING EDGE Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

cutting-edge 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of cutting-edge

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cutting edge

2 of 2

noun

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

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

Scientists aim to find some of those with a cutting-edge instrument built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge. — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 The study noted that while the state has cutting-edge hospitals, they are offset by the low ratio of medical facilities to its large population. — Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Noun

Los Gatos High School teacher David Homa has been on the cutting edge of classroom technology for years. — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 For the past couple of years, Magdeleine Bradford-Butcher has been living on the cutting edge of science. — Anil Oza, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cutting-edge

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutting-edge

Adjective

Talent flight across many ASEAN economies prevents them from developing the technocratic capacity needed for advanced technology and energy sectors.

— Brian Wong, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
The July hack by rogue OpenAI autonomous agents on open-source developer platform Hugging Face accelerated the shift and proved that the era of advanced AI hacks had arrived.

— Samantha Subin, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of advanced

Noun

The theater was squarely in the exhibition vanguard then, designed and equipped as a boutique-size 750-seat alternative to the massive Balaban & Katz auditoriums of the day.

— Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Galliano represents the last of a vanguard of designers who developed cults of personalities.

— Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of vanguard

Noun

More Black students are passing standardized tests across North Carolina’s biggest school districts, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is at the forefront of that change.

— Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026
The post provides an unusually granular picture of how far the automation of AI research has gone inside one of the companies at the forefront of both creating AI systems and deploying them internally.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of forefront

Adjective

The move signals Johnson will up his effort to reach Chicagoans on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok with his progressive message.

— Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Talarico, a former school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian serving his fourth term in the Texas House of Representatives, made waves in national politics through a combination of progressive values grounded in religious doctrine.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of progressive

Noun

There’s the proscriptive Christian culture; there’s a drag and gay dance-club underground engineered to sidestep it.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Since the late 1990s, taxpayers have been funding a program to stash extra Colorado River water underground, with the idea that it could be used as a backup in times of shortage.

— Alex Hager, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of underground

Noun

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
For one thing, the aircraft was an all-electric number powered by a dozen electric motors strung along the leading edge of the wing.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of leading edge

Adjective

Gloria Steinem, the pioneering feminist, journalist, and activist who spent more than six decades fighting for women’s equality, died on September 2, 2026, at age 92.

— Gloria Steinem, Glamour, 4 Sep. 2026
Soon after, the pioneering pygmy raccoon died, likely from a combination of malnutrition and toxic exposure to human trash, according to the study.

— Isabel Gil, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of pioneering

Browse Nearby Words

cutting (down)

cutting-edge

cutting edge

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cutting-edge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cutting-edge. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of cutting-edge

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

shofar

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes