cutting edge

American  

noun

1. the sharp edge of a cutting implement.

2. forefront; lead.

   on the cutting edge of computer technology.

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cutting edge British  

noun

1. the leading position in any field; forefront

   on the cutting edge of space technology

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adjective

1. at the forefront of people or things in a field of activity; leading

   cutting-edge technology

Other Word Forms

• cutting-edge adjective

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

Up front, their attack lacked a cutting edge.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

And Lilly wants its smaller peers to know it stands on the cutting edge.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Automation can be a convenient cover to reverse postpandemic overhiring—not to mention an attempt to signal that a business is on the cutting edge.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

While a handful of star researchers on the cutting edge of science attract federal grants in the tens-of-millions of dollars, faculty in the social sciences and humanities often struggle to generate six figures.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Guitar could still create the sense of danger and life lived on the cutting edge.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

• forefront
• front line
• vanguard