cutthroat
cutthroat Lexical Profile
cutthroat Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Fierce, ruthless, and merciless; involving or marked by intense, unforgiving competition.
"Graduates entering the investment banking sector must prepare for a cutthroat corporate environment."
• noun
A ruthless, violent, or murderous person.
"The historical novel depicts a port town frequented by smugglers, pirates, and cutthroats."
North American A predatory salmonid fish (Oncorhynchus clarkii) native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, the Great Basin, and the Rocky Mountains in North America, distinguished by red or orange markings along the underside of its lower jaw.
"Biologists monitored the mountain stream to assess the native cutthroat population."
A variant of a game or sport, such as billiards, racquetball, or card games, in which three or more players compete individually against all others rather than in teams.
"Since only three of us showed up at the court, we decided to play a game of cutthroat."
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the 16th century as a verb-noun compound of 'cut' and 'throat', originally referring literally to a murderer or highwayman before acquiring its modern figurative sense of ruthless commercial competition in the 19th century.