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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But there was no competition bow this year for Lapid’s in-your-face musical satire about a pair of Israeli artists who sign their souls over to a Russian oligarch to craft a post-October 7 nationalist anthem in support of their state.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
28 May 2025 -
The smothering, shot-blocking, in-your-face defense.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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Little has been disclosed about the administration’s plan, which represents yet another salvo in President Trump’s combative push to reshape higher education, which has roiled academia, disrupted campus life and spilled into courts across the country.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
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The public backing of Crockett, known for controversial statements and confrontational tactics, signals a potential shift toward more combative political messaging.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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Image The often pugnacious Mr. Connolly criticized a Republican bill in 2024 to rename Dulles International Airport, some of whose employees live in his district, after Mr. Trump.—
Trip Gabriel,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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Paul is pugnacious, especially with the detectives when his criminal past prompts them to question him as a possible suspect.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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Harrison confidently adopts the take-no-prisoners physicality that makes Zephyr a worthy foe for Tucker, but her line readings are bland, doing nothing to enliven the basic script by Nick Lepard.—
Esther Zuckerman,
IndieWire,
17 May 2025
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Elon Musk embodies it in all its brash, take-no-prisoners glory.—
Leisse Wilcox,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Image In pursuit of the presidency, Mr. Simion has muted the belligerent, often xenophobic message that dominated his early career as a public figure, which began with involvement in groups of nationalist soccer fans known as ultras.—
Andrew Higgins,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
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Markets fall on Trump's trade comments U.S. stocks fell Tuesday after Trump gave belligerent comments on trade deals.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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Though Hunt Wynorski’s (Nick Zano) actual death happens off-screen, his pained panic at being trapped underwater by the suction pull of a public pool’s drain is an agonizing sequence, culminating in the gnarly visual of a blood-and-guts fountain.—
Gayle Sequeira,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
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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
Adjective
-
The ceasefire plan, which has been approved by Israeli officials, won a cool initial reaction Thursday from the militant group, but President Donald Trump said Friday that negotiators were nearing a deal.—
ABDEL KAREEM HANA,
Arkansas Online,
30 May 2025
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In December, after years of stalemate in the war, Assad’s long-standing authoritarian regime collapsed, in the face of an unexpected offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist militant group once affiliated with al-Qaida.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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In 2014, war broke out in the Donbas where my family lived, and Putin’s messaging around Victory Day became much more bellicose, making my family reject the holiday ever since.—
Sasha Vasilyuk,
Time,
8 May 2025
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Then a sudden switch: a bellicose, spine-stiffening bass line, and the instantly infamous refrain.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
15 May 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 5 Jun. 2025.
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