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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

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

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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
But Hawkins' statement insisted that the drone was hardly a crucial piece of cutting-edge military tech. — Anniek Bao,spencer Kimball,kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026 Labor Day Smartwatch Deals The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 pairs a refined design with cutting-edge health intelligence. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 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
  1. advanced
  2. vanguard
  3. forefront
  4. progressive
  5. underground
  6. leading edge
  7. pioneering
  8. pioneer
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
  • For starters, a recording artist isn’t at the forefront of the pack.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
  • In a game that the New York Giants converted 9-of-11 third down attempts, ran for 165 yards and won the time of possession battle by over 13 minutes, the questions around the defense’s performance over the last two years are back at the forefront.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of forefront
Adjective
  • When a Black professor suggests that the protesting students are infringing on their classmates’ right to use shared areas, her white counterparts shake their heads in disgust for her refusal to capitulate to progressive groupthink.
    — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The inherent challenge in making films dealing with progressive illness is not succumbing to an inescapably formulaic structure that can’t help but go with the territory.
    — Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 16 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
  • Born in Buenos Aires in 1959, Cerati rose to international prominence as the frontman, guitarist and creative force behind Soda Stereo, the pioneering band that helped define rock en español across the 1980s and ’90s.
    — Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Sway Dasafo, a pioneering British Ghanaian rapper known for his lyric storytelling and championing of British music, has died.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of pioneering
Noun
  • Zieha and Blue Bird were also described as pioneers for bringing organic, farm-to-table food to Kansas City at a time when this type of cuisine was entering the mainstream across the country.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Graham Hughes | Bloomberg | Getty Images Yoshua Bengio is a Canadian computer scientist, considered to be a central pioneer of modern deep learning.
    — Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 15 Sep. 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 19 Sep. 2026.

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