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.
Cutting edge rusher Khalil Mack would bring cap relief but also further weaken an already thin position group.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2023
A: Cutting edge technology is expensive when first introduced to the market and that includes plumbing fixtures.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 20, 2021
It’s got it all: Cutting edge analysis, cured meat, “Caddyshack” and the dangers of political determinism.
From Fox News • Nov. 8, 2019
Cutting edge liberal arts colleges that emphasize deep reading of classic works are, to my mind, the most rigorous educational experiences a young person can have.
From Forbes • Jun. 30, 2014
Ah! wait until custom has blunted the keen, Cutting edge of that sound, and no woman, I ween, Will hear it with pulses more equal, more free From feminine terrors and weakness, than she.
From Beechenbrook A Rhyme of the War by Preston, Margaret J.
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.
