as in ruthless
not guided by or showing a concern for what is right
cutthroat business practices intended to drive competitors out of business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in assassin
a person who kills another person
while traveling the ancient Silk Road, traders were constant prey to cutthroats and thieves
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cutthroat
Hannah Seligson, Robb Report, 26 Nov. 2024
The Major League Baseball Players’ Association petitioned a New York trial court last week to confirm an arbitration award against Rimas Sports executives in a move that draws attention to the competitive, if not cutthroat, world of player agents.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Nov. 2024
Claudia Rosenbaum, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2025
The precocious Sun says he was captivated by the American tycoon’s lessons in cutthroat competition, showmanship and, of course, ego—anathema in a society steeped in the principles of Confucianism and Chinese socialism.
—Chris Dobstaff, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cutthroat
Adjective
Another factor in the cutthroat Nantucket rental market is the community divide over short-term leases—which broadly boils down to the tension between overcrowding and traffic and being a hospitality town that depends on tourism.
—Hannah Seligson, Robb Report, 26 Nov. 2024
The Major League Baseball Players’ Association petitioned a New York trial court last week to confirm an arbitration award against Rimas Sports executives in a move that draws attention to the competitive, if not cutthroat, world of player agents.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Nov. 2024
Noun
Early on, Scharf discovered his training as a public defender was surprisingly useful in the cutthroat world of entertainment law.
—Claudia Rosenbaum, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2025
The precocious Sun says he was captivated by the American tycoon’s lessons in cutthroat competition, showmanship and, of course, ego—anathema in a society steeped in the principles of Confucianism and Chinese socialism.
—Chris Dobstaff, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cutthroat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutthroat
Adjective
-
O’Neil had shown a more ruthless streak in dealing with Lemina, stripping the midfielder of the captaincy after those embarrassing post-match scenes at West Ham.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
-
There is the ruthless spymaster Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and his mysterious assistant Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau).—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In The Accountant 2, premiering April 25 in theaters, Affleck and Bernthal reunite as brothers Christian and Braxton, who come together to help track down a mysterious assassin.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2025
-
The beret-lover with the $20,000 necklace (Lauren McKnight) was the second assassin.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Regardless of what transpired between the two cast members, on or off screen, Aspen was unfairly portrayed as an immoral character.—
Taylor Crumpton,
Essence,
11 Apr. 2025
-
We are limited to enforcing the law, not policing immoral behavior.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Joe Biden and Border Czar Harris allowed murderers, rapists, and vicious gang members to flood into our country unvetted.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Apr. 2025
-
The attorney for Rachel Morin's family says the trial of her murderer is a testament to relentless law enforcement and a devastating indictment of immigration failures that allowed her killer to murder the Maryland mom of five.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Taking away a tool that saves millions of Americans money to boost the tax prep industry's profits is another corrupt giveaway to Big Business.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
-
By the end of the finale episode, Kingpin has essentially taken control of the entire city and the Punisher is kidnapped by the corrupt police but Daredevil is assembling his own army to combat the tyrant.—
Skyler Trepel,
People.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Moat did attract a sick fandom, but that sort of ugly love does not stay a killer’s hand.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Rachel’s mother Patty Morin drew an implicit parallel between her daughter’s killer and Abrego Garcia at her White House appearance, even though the latter has never been charged with a crime.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Before the arrest, some indignant residents took to social media to speculate about a possible motive — alleging without proof that unscrupulous developers or even the city itself may have orchestrated the acts.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
-
This was meant to prevent unscrupulous spammers from being able to send unauthenticated email that could come complete with a nefarious payload.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The notorious Sackler family, opioid pushers responsible for countless cases of addiction and death, can’t seem to settle their legal problems without turning to some kind of unprincipled maneuver.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Feb. 2025
-
Objective voters who watched the recent documentary about Lev Parnas, once a Trump ally, should fear a redux of a Cabinet running the government for an angry, unhinged, unprincipled man.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Cutthroat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cutthroat. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share