take-no-prisoners

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adjective

ˈtāk-ˈnō-ˈpriz-(ə-)nərz 

chiefly US

: having a fierce, relentless, or aggressive character

a take-no-prisoners attitude

… McGraw is actually famous for his blunt, take-no-prisoners style of therapy.

—Marc Peyser

… the kind of scorched-earth, take-no-prisoners writing style she had become notorious for.

—Kirsten Fleming

He is one of a kind—a maverick with a take-no-prisoners approach to the wine business.

—Wine Spectator

The long-distance marketers are now digging in for a take-no-prisoners strategy to keep a tight grip on their $70 billion industry …

—Kate Fitzgerald

take no prisoners

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phrase

: to be aggressively harsh, tough, or relentless (as in pursuing a goal, exploiting an advantage, or expressing criticism)

a politician who takes no prisoners

His record as a tough, capable administrator somehow manages to satisfy both Pentagon hard-liners and State Department moderates. "He takes no prisoners," says a U.S. official …

—Daniel Eisenberg

That show featured Barbara Frum, who was simply one of the most important, most fearless TV journalists this country has ever seen. … She took no prisoners in those interviews.

—John Cairns

Like their private sector counterparts, … [they] have been known to take no prisoners when competing for contracts.

—Willie Schatz

Mr. Smith takes no prisoners as he lambastes a policy he believes was misguided and mistaken from the beginning.

—Walter Russell Mead

Synonyms of take-no-prisoners

Adjective

• ruthless
• merciless

Examples of take-no-prisoners in a Sentence

Adjective

a theater critic with a take-no-prisoners approach to reviewing Broadway's latest offerings

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Continuing in his take-no-prisoners approach, Lane moved on from Chalamet to relate an anecdote, first told by his friend Jesse Tyler Ferguson on a podcast, in which Lane met Ferguson’s young son, who was duly dazzled by The Lion King star. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026

Ed O’Bradovich, the young, take-no-prisoners defensive end, was a product of Proviso East High School. —Charles Billington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026

Ricky Gervais has hosted the Golden Globes five times, making Hollywood sweat with his take-no-prisoners approach to jokes mocking showbiz. —William Earl, Variety, 30 Dec. 2025

Directed by genre-hopping Ben Wheatley and written by John Wick creator Derek Kolstad from a story hatched by Kolstad and Odenkirk, the subversive Western is a take-no-prisoners gore fest that peppers all the visceral carnage with an equal sprinkling of dry wit. —Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 15 Sep. 2025

Nothing about Francis Lawrence’s take-no-prisoners adaptation of Richard Bachman’s (aka Stephen King) staggering novel offers one shard of hope for any of us to wrap our bloodied fingers around. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025

The fact that any remaining mutual admiration is fueled by mutual animosity is thus introduced right up front, and the movie wastes zero time setting out the rules of engagement for what will soon become take-no-prisoners warfare between the Roses. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025

Karen Read and her attorney Alan Jackson, who just signed on to the latest twist in this take-no-prisoners legal struggle, aren’t sweating the sad wrongful-death suit brought in Plymouth County by John O’Keefe’s family. —Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 6 Aug. 2025

Trump’s White House is accustomed to take-no-prisoners political messaging, continuing its aggressive style from last year’s campaign that critics describe as callous and vindictive. —Chris Megerian, Fortune, 23 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1968, in the meaning defined above

Phrase

1915, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take-no-prisoners

• prisoners

Kids Definition

take-no-prisoners

adjective

: having a fierce, relentless, or merciless character

take-no-prisoners politics