cutting edge
Americannoun
-
the sharp edge of a cutting implement.
-
forefront; lead.
on the cutting edge of computer technology.
noun
adjective
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many are on the cutting edge of molecular biology.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
"It was actually St Mirren who were the better team, especially in the second half, when they pinned Celtic back but didn't have that cutting edge," he told BBC Scotland.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 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
Artificial intelligence is transforming Hollywood at a pace that has sent shockwaves through creative industries, but human creativity will always prevail, a leading executive at the cutting edge of that change told AFP.
From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026
The vibrasaw purred through heavy vines, parted tangled underbrush like a comb through wet hair, and sliced cleanly through metal when the odd misstroke brought the cutting edge down onto the track.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
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.
