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🪡 The act of dividing 🎬 Editing or dividing 🗡️ Harsh or cruel ✂️ A piece removed
cutting

cutting

8 5.2
Very hurtful in words, or sharply cold in weather
  • adjective
  • /ˈkʌtɪŋ/
: cortante
  • His cutting remarks left her feeling hurt and insulted.

Or the hate and vitriol, the cruel words, the cutting remarks.

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Examples

  • The cutting wind made it difficult to enjoy the outdoor concert.

  • Maybe Achilles could have done more damage to Agamemnon with a cutting wit than his rage.

  • It's, it's simply a very deep, cutting, revealing situation.

  • It's just a less robust or less cutting version than the purple.

  • My tears don't bother you up, but your mind is cutting me deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep.

  • I want to do quite subtle little crease because I want the eyeliner to go up very sharp and very cutting and nice.

  • It can be the most painful and cutting experience in into the depth of your heart and your confidence and your shake of faith in life itself.

    Ed Mylett

  • It's a it's quiet, it whispers, but cutting is something fearful and forceful.

  • I've never had Andrew Clavin of the Daily Wire here, but he is so smart and cutting and unsparing.

    Megyn Kelly

  • He sent Marshall Marmot to replace Messena and when they next met, greeted him with the cutting words.

Synonyms

harsh
vscutting
40 3.9

Very strong and unpleasant to the senses, like bright light or bitter taste

is more specific about cruelty or sharp, penetrating quality
sharp
vscutting
37 2.2

A sudden strong pain that feels like being cut

extends this sense to cruel or sharply penetrating remarks and winds
piercing
vscutting
23 5.5

A very sharp, intense feeling or sound that seems to cut

adds a sense of cruelty or emotional sting beyond mere intensity
bruising
vscutting
12 6.3

Causing strong emotional pain and making you feel upset

is broader, also describing sudden piercing pain or coldness
stinging
vscutting
8 6.3

Harsh or hurtful in a way that makes someone feel upset

is similar but can also describe cold or painful sensations
searing
vscutting
  • Offensive
7 7.2

A very harsh remark that tries to hurt someone

covers that intensity but also milder cruel or piercing effects
wounding
vscutting
7 6.3

Causing emotional pain or hurt

can mean the same hurt but also physical sharpness or wind
sharp-worded
vscutting
2 7.1

Saying harsh words to criticize someone or something

is broader, also describing penetrating sensations or cold winds

Antonyms

gentle
408 1.0

Kind and not strong in action, sound, or touch

soothing
75 2.9

That makes pain or worry feel less strong

Idioms

ninjas cutting onions
  • Informal
9.9

A joking excuse for tears when something makes you feel emotional

Compounds

cutting edge
101 3.9

The newest and most advanced position in a field like technology

cutting-edge
46 5.6

Very new and modern because it uses the latest ideas and technology

cost cutting
19 3.0

Steps a company takes to spend less money

cutting board
  • US
14 1.5

A flat board used to cut food like meat or vegetables

cutting room
7 4.6

A room where people edit films or tapes by removing unwanted parts

cutting room floor
6 6.8

Parts of a film or book removed before the final version is released

cutting tool
2 3.1

A tool like a knife or scissors that cuts materials

cutting edge
2 3.6

The sharp side of a blade that slices food or other things

price cutting
1 2.8

Reducing the price of goods below the usual amount to attract customers

metal-cutting
  • Specialized
1 4.8

Tools or machines that cut metal

clear-cutting
  • Specialized
1 5.2

Cutting down all the trees in an area at once

cutting off
1 5.1

The removal of part of something with a sharp tool, like a branch or wire

cutting angle
  • Specialized
1 6.3

The angle between a tool's blade and the surface of the material

rug-cutting
  • Archaic
1 8.7

A lively, skilled dance that shows energy and enthusiasm

cutting onions
  • Informal
8.0

A joking way to say someone seems to be crying from strong feelings

cutting out
  • Specialized
6.9

An operation to remove part of the body or tissue

leaf-cutting bee
6.8

A bee that cuts small pieces from leaves or flowers to build its nest

rug-cutting move
  • Slang
8.2

A lively dance move that people do with energy to show skill

press cutting
  • Literature
3.2

A piece cut from a newspaper or magazine that you keep

How Harsh

scathing
29 7.7
biting
12 5.4
cutting
8 5.2
harsh
40 3.9
mild
206 1.0

Surface Forms

cutting positive

Morphology

cutting = cut (semi-transparent) = cut + ing

The adjectival use is a metaphorical extension from 'cut' (sharp, piercing), so the link is understandable but not strictly literal.

Etymology

Cutting comes from the verb cut, which can mean 'to wound' as well as 'to divide'. That's why a cutting remark or a cutting wind feels sharp and can 'cut' like a knife, making it painful or very cold.