as in ruthless
not guided by or showing a concern for what is right
cutthroat business practices intended to drive competitors out of business
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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
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Recent Examples of cutthroat
Sara Merican, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
Rookies, most of whom consistently dominated their competition at lower levels of play, must also acclimate to the more cutthroat world of the NFL.
—Matt Barrows, The Athletic, 6 Aug. 2024
Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
But the best story of all was Maryanne, and watching this delightful goofball evolve into a cutthroat champion was truly thrilling, lifting Survivor 42 into the mid-twenties.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cutthroat
Adjective
Tee added that there should be more screens in Indonesia, and that the exhibition sector has become too cutthroat.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
Rookies, most of whom consistently dominated their competition at lower levels of play, must also acclimate to the more cutthroat world of the NFL.
—Matt Barrows, The Athletic, 6 Aug. 2024
Noun
Elon Musk’s siding with Donald Trump before and after the election, his support for Germany's right-wing AfD party, and his cutthroat actions with DOGE pretty much turned the whole world against the once popular electric car brand.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
But the best story of all was Maryanne, and watching this delightful goofball evolve into a cutthroat champion was truly thrilling, lifting Survivor 42 into the mid-twenties.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cutthroat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutthroat
Adjective
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As with everything Banksy, siting and context are chief among the avenues of investigation into the man’s intent and into his his hilariously ruthless nocturnal execution of his art.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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The ruthless, physical Panthers will get a strong Oilers squad, with Ekholm back on the back end, Skinner emphatically taking back his net from Calvin Pickard, and both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on top of their games.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Noun
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King Shrewd secretly trains young Fitz as an assassin, harnessing his ancestral magic.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
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Those were the final words uttered by Emperor Uriel Septum—played by none other than Star Trek's Patrick Stewart—before an assassin leaped out of the shadows to cut him down.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Researchers also noted the chatbot engaging in other potentially disturbing—though not necessarily immoral—behavior.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
24 May 2025
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Suggesting that being out of work is immoral, as opposed to the conditions that contribute to people’s ability to work and live, might be a more appropriate source of anxiety.—
Lauren Coulman,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Noun
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To populate this murderer’s row of, well, murderers, Davidson races against the clock to court talent and get them to New York in time for filming.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
28 May 2025
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The public believed this story of intentionality so completely that every shark bite was essentially a murder, and every shark a potential murderer, and the beach was the scene of a crime by a deviant monster against innocent beachgoers.—
Chris Pepin-Neff,
Scientific American,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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In fact, Evans’ plotline as the corrupt Reverend Drew essentially runs parallel to Qualley’s and the lack of intersection is a curious oversight.—
Esther Zuckerman,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
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Bruce Springsteen called the Trump administration 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous.' Bruce Springsteen didn't back down.—
Chris Jordan,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
Noun
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In a classic horror premise (a school dance in the ’80s, no less), a killer is picking off Shadyside High’s prom-queen candidates one by one.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
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Remembering Molly Elliott, killed by Louisiana Death Row inmate Their killer is facing execution by firing squad.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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The millennial realization that the world is full of unscrupulous people might explain why Anderson’s storytelling leans to fantasy and youthful innocence.—
Armond White,
National Review,
30 May 2025
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Within hours, your unscrupulous corporate rivals bask in ignoble victory.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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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
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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 6 Jun. 2025.
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