variants
also bare-knuckled
or bare-knuckles
as in gladiatorial
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare-knuckle
Adjective
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If anything, the Rainbow tracks illustrate the youthful grit with which Yes combined their virtuoso tendencies onstage with a certain in-your-face raggedness.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2025 -
As rain pours over a lake, the electric charge zigzags through the sky for an otherworldly brawl in a movie that consistently delivers in-your-face visual spectacle.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
2 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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Shia LaBeouf accused of 'combative' acting, physical abuse This isn't the first time LaBeouf has been accused of professional misconduct and physical abuse.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
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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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The group wrote to Bondi to argue that the influencer should be investigated over whether she has been paid to spread propaganda for Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in Gaza, it was first reported by the New York Post.—
Lauren Irwin,
The Hill,
8 Apr. 2025
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And in Lebanon, a series of Israeli attacks on the country have decapitated the militant group Hezbollah.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN Money,
8 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 17 Apr. 2025.
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