cutthroat

1 of 2

noun

cut·​throat ˈkət-ˌthrōt 

1

: killer, murderer

2

: a cruel unprincipled person

cutthroat

2 of 2

adjective

1

: murderous, cruel

2

: marked by unprincipled practices : ruthless

cutthroat competition

3

: characterized by each player playing independently rather than having a permanent partner

—used especially of partnership games adapted for three players

cutthroat bridge

Synonyms

Noun

• assassin
• homicide
• killer
• manslayer
• murderer

Adjective

• immoral
• Machiavellian
• unconscionable
• unethical
• unprincipled
• unscrupulous

Examples of cutthroat in a Sentence

Noun

while traveling the ancient Silk Road, traders were constant prey to cutthroats and thieves

Adjective

cutthroat business practices intended to drive competitors out of business

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Most fundamentally, Trump concluded that the ascendancy of the liberal order was over and the world of cutthroat power politics was back. —Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025

Christopher, a Daytime Emmy Awards-winner who starred as cutthroat mob boss Carlo Hesser on One Life to Live, died at 84 last December. —EW.com, 24 Feb. 2025

Adjective

The semiconductor space is cutthroat, and technology develops quickly. —Sarah Bauerle Danzman, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2022

Tashi Duncan — the complicated, messy, yet consistent and clear-eyed, cutthroat, ruthless athlete — is the perfect role to show us what Zendaya is capable of. —Kathleen Newman-Bremang, refinery29.com, 30 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cutthroat

• cutthroat contract
• cutthroat trout

Rhymes for cutthroat

• afloat
• azote
• banknote
• bareboat
• benzoate
• connote
• demote
• denote
• devote
• endnote
• footnote
• greatcoat

Kids Definition

cutthroat

1 of 2 noun

cut·​throat ˈkət-ˌthrōt 

1

: a person likely to cut someone's throat

2

: a cruel person with no scruples

cutthroat

2 of 2 adjective

: ruthless

cutthroat competition