ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bleeding edge

idiom
Meaning

Something too new and untested to be reliable or to have any assurance of safety; the figurative place where such things exist.


Origin

disputed origin

Blend of bleed + leading edge, and metaphorically alluding to the cutting edge (“forefront or position of greatest advancement in some field”) as a double-edged sword.

Examples
SIMPLE

That phone uses bleeding edge technology.

CONTEXTUAL

Startups often build on bleeding edge tools that break without warning.

COMPLEX

The surgeon warned that the experimental procedure remained bleeding edge, with outcomes no one could yet predict.

Anchors to
Related idioms6entries
  1. 01

    cutting edge

    The forefront, or position of greatest advancement in some field.

  2. 02

    edge of the earth

    A very remote place.

  3. 03

    edge of the world

    A very remote place.

  4. 04

    edge out

    To defeat in a contest or a game by a narrow margin of victory.

  5. 05

    live on the edge

    To have an adventurous or perilous lifestyle; to behave in a manner which creates risks for oneself.

  6. 06

    stop the bleeding

    To recover by interrupting a string of losses, disappointments, etc.

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