cutthroat

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled cut-throat

US /ˈkʌtˌθroʊt/ UK /ˈkʌtˌθrəʊt/ See IPA manual

adj noun

Meanings

1

adj
ruthless and fiercely competitive

The startup operated in a cutthroat market.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · ruthless and fiercely... ruthless merciless savage brutal ferocious murderous

Opposites

gentle merciful humane

Word family

Related forms cut throat

Etymology

An English compound of 'cut' + 'throat', dating from the 16th century, originally denoting a murderer or assassin and later the figurative sense of ruthless competition.

throte Middle English

View etymology graph ->

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Describing Qualities

# cutthroat

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** ˈkʌtˌθroʊt
**IPA (UK):** ˈkʌtˌθrəʊt

## Meanings
1. ruthless and fiercely competitive

## Examples
- The startup operated in a cutthroat market.

## Synonyms
- ruthless
- merciless
- savage
- brutal
- ferocious
- murderous

## Antonyms
- gentle
- merciful
- humane

## Related Forms
- cut
- throat

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: throte

## Etymology
An English compound of 'cut' + 'throat', dating from the 16th century, originally denoting a murderer or assassin and later the figurative sense of ruthless competition.

## AI Etymology
Cutthroat is an English compound of 'cut' + 'throat', dating from the 16th century, originally denoting a murderer or assassin and later the figurative sense of ruthless competition. The immediate etymological form is Old English throte. In present use as adjective and noun, it means "ruthless and fiercely competitive", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. The figurative development named in the history lets the word move from a concrete base into a broader descriptive use. Related words include cut and throat.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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cutthroat

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