variants
also bare-knuckled
or bare-knuckles
as in gladiatorial
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare-knuckle
Adjective
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The Buckeyes play a fast, in-your-face type of hockey that relies on keeping players fresh with quick line shifts.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025 -
The romance that bloomed between Michael and Toby’s HR department replacement, Holly Flax, could only have happened so in-your-face with a Libra woman, and that ability to match his silliness is also a common attribute for Libra.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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While slightly less combative than Kayhan, Javan still conveyed conditional skepticism, framing Washington's intentions as unclear and demanding visible signs of commitment before endorsing the process.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
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Peterson did not mention President Trump or his administration's combative stance against federal judges and the courts.—
Thomas Wheatley,
Axios,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For several years, Bolsonaro had engaged in a ferocious feud with the Supreme Court—and particularly with Alexandre de Moraes, a pugnacious jurist who is sometimes described as the second most powerful man in Brazil.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
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Its shares have dropped 35 percent this calendar year, a vertiginous slide that has coincided with the abrupt rise of Mr. Musk’s pugnacious profile in government and politics.—
Jeff Sommer,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Elon Musk embodies it in all its brash, take-no-prisoners glory.—
Leisse Wilcox,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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And no one can remain beautiful, in the same way, forever, though Kilmer’s mischievous, take-no-prisoners smile hadn’t changed much.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The American military presence in Asia is seen by allies as a critical counterbalance in a fractious region where China has been rapidly expanding its military might and a belligerent North Korea has been empowered by closer ties with Russia.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2025
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Successful long ago, Shelley is no longer a selling Machine of any sort, and mostly just begs for a break in comically desperate appeals that ping-pong from belligerent to pathetic.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
This is a blood-and-guts medical-show model, in which everything teeters on the brink of catastrophe at all times and the doctors are adrenaline junkies approximately one shift away from a complete mental breakdown.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
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That realization elevates the film’s campy blood-and-guts from gore to gut-punch.—
Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo,
WWD,
1 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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From Myanmar comes the story of a student turned insurgent who joined a militant guerilla group set on overthrowing the country’s military junta.—
The Dial,
The Dial,
1 Apr. 2025
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Israel ended its ceasefire with the Hamas militant group and renewed its air and ground war last month.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In fact, most bird watchers have never seen aggregations of hummingbirds that were not actively fighting over food or mates, but astonishingly, one species has overcome their bellicose nature to nest peacefully in colonies.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Consider the People's Liberation Army's increasingly bellicose military and exercises in the Taiwan Strait.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bare-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare-knuckle. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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