cutthroat
Americannoun
adjective
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ruthless.
cutthroat competition.
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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.
See Examples For:
The fight is emblematic of the cutthroat competition to establish an all-American supply chain for rare earths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Prepubescent athletes have personal trainers, agents and cutthroat recruiting plans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
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
The fashion industry, with its cutthroat and trend-cycling nature, is as daunting as ever to enter.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
“You know, in ancient Greece, Aristophanes would write plays about how much of a dipshit Socrates was and perform them right there in Athens. Talk about cutthroat, right?”
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
Ash wiped out at least one stream’s cutthroats.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 25, 2022
Screenwriter Tony Gilroy, making his directorial debut, wisely subverts the native charisma of star George Clooney, whose portrayal of a man coming undone among Manhattan cutthroats stands as the finest of his career.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 17, 2018
They look similar to inland cutthroats, with the classic red gill slashes that give them their name, but their backs are a pretty silver rather than olive green.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2017
The Park Service and Game and Fish are both committed to preserving native species such as cutthroats, Burckhardt said.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 6, 2016
The fish were only seven or eight inches long, and when Joe was young they were all beautiful native cutthroats.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
