cutting-edge
adjective

- innovative; pioneering

cutting edge (without hyphen)
noun

- the latest or most advanced stage; the forefront

(Compact Oxford English Dictionary)

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WORD ORIGIN

Cutting edge, the pioneering aspect of an enterprise or development, particularly in technology, comes from the image of a knife or other cutting instrument with two edges, one blunt and one sharp. The cutting edge therefore symbolises progress, being out front or on the edge.

Although "cutting edge" is frequently used to describe developments and products that are technology-related, marketers everywhere make good use of it. Whether it's skin care products, pet food, pharmaceuticals or clothes fashions, there's hardly an industry that doesn't use "cutting edge" to describe how advanced they are.

The marketing director of a family-run brewery in Canada claims this about one of its beers:

"It's a niche brand but a very important one for us because it's a cutting-edge beer…" 

Mm... I personally, would be a little worried about tummy-ache :)

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SYNONYMS
(adjective)

advanced, groundbreaking, innovative, leading-edge, modern, pioneering, state-of-the-art, trailblazing, trendsetting, revolutionary, visionary

(noun)
advance guard, avant-garde, forefront, front, front line, leading edge, new wave, pioneer, point, spearhead, van, vanguard

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ANTONYMS
(adjective)

anachronous, antiquated, antique, archaic, dated, démodé, has-been, legacy, moth-eaten, obsolete, old, old hat, out, out-of-date, out-of-style, outmoded, passé, square, tired, unfashionable, vintage

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation:

"I don't have a problem investing in CUTTING-EDGE technology. But don't forget that the customer wants something that's easy to use."