cutthroat 1 of 2

cutthroat

2 of 2

noun

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
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
Strategic partnerships aren’t just some corporate buzzword—they’re the signature twist that fuels innovation, propels growth and keeps things interesting in a cutthroat industry. Jeffrey Marks, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2025 That, and the usual dance stereotypes: that ballet amounted to eating disorders, cutthroat competition, tiara-ed reeds in stiff tutus dancing in the moonlight. Elyse Durham, People.com, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cutthroat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutthroat
Adjective
  • The way to move up in your organization might require being ruthless.
    Roberta Matuson, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • But when the ruthless Mafia boss Nicola Grimaldi discovers his young son has been kidnapped and murdered, the suspect and Grimaldi’s former friend Vito seeks refuge with police.
    Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 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
  • Now, while media and fans are all crunching the numbers and trying to predict who will die and who their murderer is in Season 3, several people involved with the series are effectively telling audiences to brace themselves for something big in the finale, which will run 90 minutes.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Look at this week’s murderer, Freya Frostad (Mary-Louise Parker) — she’s built an entire career and life on the belief that one only needs 44 things in this life.
    Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 4 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
  • Worse, the law is now being used by unscrupulous lawyers and doctors to stage phony accidents.
    John Faso, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Some unscrupulous persons will start to offer debt relief services or sell various sophisticated-sounding transactions to get rid of creditors.
    Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cutthroat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cutthroat. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on cutthroat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!