cutting edge
Americannoun
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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
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
In the study, the team used a cutting edge imaging method to examine how electric charges are distributed throughout the material.
From Science Daily • May 4, 2026
Up front, their attack lacked a cutting edge.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
Mostly because this escapade cried out for a cutting edge to go with its larklike quality.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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.
