cutthroat
Americannoun
adjective
-
ruthless.
cutthroat competition.
-
pertaining to a game, as of cards, in which each of three or more persons acts and scores as an individual.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cutthroat
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.
But when the inevitably cutthroat social dynamics of in-groups and out-groups lead the other players to turn on comedian Ron Funches, not even the ice-blooded Rausch can live with himself.
From Salon • Jun. 20, 2026
There are dozens of auto startups in the cutthroat Chinese market, and many won’t survive, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
The fashion industry, with its cutthroat and trend-cycling nature, is as daunting as ever to enter.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
German premium automaker Mercedes-Benz said Wednesday its first-quarter profit fell by almost a fifth as cutthroat competition in China shakes the world's carmakers.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
Alone in the waiting area, Roy dug through a stack of magazines until he found an issue of Outdoor Life that had an article about fishing for cutthroat trout in the Rocky Mountains.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
