bare-knuckle

adjective

variants also bare-knuckled or bare-knuckles
Definition of bare-knucklenext
as in gladiatorial

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bare-knuckle Monday night’s childish spectacle saw Jackson marching into the midfield, losing his cool, and throwing a bare-knuckle punch at Chubb. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Expect sweeping cinematography and bare-knuckle sequences as the directors of Free Solo take us on a journey to the highest mountain on earth. — John Ross, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026 Teixeira's decisive performance suggests potential future opportunities in Misfits Boxing or bare-knuckle promotions, while concerns were raised about Rua taking further punishment in striking contests. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 The case against the Tates That image of impunity shattered on July 18, when US Marshals arrested the brothers outside a bare-knuckle boxing match in Miami on an extradition request from British authorities. — Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026 Hassabis, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2024 for pioneering the use of AI in protein prediction, is based in London and has largely avoided the viper pit created by the bare-knuckle AI race playing out in Silicon Valley. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 15 July 2026 Kerr, a bare-knuckle boxer and father who was in his 30s, boarded a Jet2 plane from Larnaca in Cyprus on Sunday, June 21, with his girlfriend, the outlets shared. — Adam England, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026 Surviving and thriving during 50 years of bare-knuckle Massachusetts politics is proof of that. — Jon Keller, CBS News, 15 June 2026 The spectacle brought together two bare-knuckle brands that have been intertwined for years, and was symbolic of the pugilistic moment in American politics. — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 14 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare-knuckle
  1. gladiatorial
  2. in-your-face
  3. combative
  4. pugnacious
  5. confrontational
  6. take-no-prisoners
  7. belligerent
  8. blood-and-guts
Adjective
  • Use the same term in connection with the mental vagaries of a gladiatorial spectacle?
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
  • There was a gladiatorial spirit to the earlier stadium, with its dual towers connected by an elegantly curving grandstand with a series of arches facing the street.
    — Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of gladiatorial
Adjective
  • But in the years between Logic1000’s in-your-face debut EP and 2024’s duller, more careful Mother, her solo work became less singular.
    — Cassidy Sollazzo, Pitchfork, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Blatant, in-your-face lying, cheating and stealing is the norm.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of in-your-face
Adjective
  • The former state representative and senator from west-central Missouri took office as secretary of state in January 2025 and brought a more combative approach to overseeing elections and ballot measures.
    — Jeremy Kohler, ProPublica, 15 Oct. 2026
  • No other details were provided, and since that announcement, the CAC and its membership have found themselves on opposite sides of an increasingly combative divide.
    — Adam B. Vary, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of combative
Adjective
  • Hilton cuts a colorful and pugnacious figure on the campaign trail.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In 2005, the Cage was opened by Ross (the Boss) Friedman, a founding member of the pugnacious and seminal punk band the Dictators, stalwarts of the early CBGB scene.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of pugnacious
Adjective
  • Nor was she put off by his more confrontational appearances on Fox News.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The candidate forum, held on Thursday night in Woodland and moderated by League of Women Voters of Yolo County, was a more confrontational showdown than their debate just one day earlier.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of confrontational
Adjective
  • The Debut stars Julianne Moore as a shy family woman who finds a powerful voice through community theater, with Paul Giamatti as the theater’s take-no-prisoners director.
    — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Indeed, the polar opposite of both Number One’s icy demeanor and Chapel’s long-suffering yearning, Majel is remembered by friends and colleagues as a boisterous, brassy, take-no-prisoners presence.
    — Scott Huver, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of take-no-prisoners
Adjective
  • The measure would prohibit the government from joining sanctions against any belligerent country except sanctions approved by the United Nations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Relatives said Billini had even asked the building’s management to move her to another apartment to get her away from her belligerent neighbor.
    — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of belligerent
Adjective
  • However, fighters in the UFC seem to get caught up in trying to appease the casuals who can only appreciate blood-and-guts wars.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Dawn of the Dead's flood of blood-and-guts is among the most memorable in film history, if only for the unnaturally vivid shades of red.
    — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
Definition of blood-and-guts

Browse Nearby Words

barefaced
bare-knuckle
barely
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Cite this Entry

“Bare-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare-knuckle. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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