cutting edge
Americannoun
-
the sharp edge of a cutting implement.
-
forefront; lead.
on the cutting edge of computer technology.
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cutting edge
First recorded in 1950–55
Explanation
Something that's cutting-edge is the very latest or the most stylish. If you always covet the newest kind of cellphone, you could say that you like cutting-edge technology. The adjective cutting-edge often describes new advances in science or technology — a hospital might advertise its use of cutting-edge cancer treatments, for example. Art can be described as cutting-edge as well, if it uses innovative techniques or does something completely new. The word cutting-edge has only been used in this figurative way since the mid-1960s; before that it literally meant "the edge of a tool's blade."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cohen: He’s always on the cutting edge of the next thing and the next group of musicians that he finds.
From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2026
And the Trump administration’s $2 billion investment in the quantum industry signaled confidence in businesses at the cutting edge of quantum computers, which can solve problems much faster than traditional computers.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
The core pitch: monitor your physiology like a hawk, take treatments on the cutting edge of science, and boost your odds of a longer, healthier life.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
Using cutting edge super resolution microscopy, they mapped the glycocalyx at the level of individual sugar molecules across many different types of cells.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
It slit through the air like the cutting edge of a blade.
From "The Fighting Ground" by Avi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
