variants
also bare-knuckled
or bare-knuckles
as in gladiatorial
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bare-knuckle
The film followed Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam), a mainland refugee trying to pay his way to a fake ID by winning bare-knuckle brawls.
—
Marcus Lim, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
The 2022 bare-knuckle holiday sensation Violent Night followed an embittered Santa, armed with lethal combat skills, who takes out a team of ruthless mercenaries to rescue a girl and her family.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
And to go bare-knuckle with the Chargers.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
As Republicans moved to have state legislatures under their umbrella of control add more favorable seats to the 2026 midterm maps in Texas, Ohio and Indiana, Newsom matched the bare-knuckle approach with a new version of California's congressional maps that would eliminate five GOP-leaning seats.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bare-knuckle
Marcus Lim, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
The 2022 bare-knuckle holiday sensation Violent Night followed an embittered Santa, armed with lethal combat skills, who takes out a team of ruthless mercenaries to rescue a girl and her family.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
And to go bare-knuckle with the Chargers.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
As Republicans moved to have state legislatures under their umbrella of control add more favorable seats to the 2026 midterm maps in Texas, Ohio and Indiana, Newsom matched the bare-knuckle approach with a new version of California's congressional maps that would eliminate five GOP-leaning seats.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bare-knuckle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare-knuckle
- gladiatorial
- in-your-face
- combative
- pugnacious
- confrontational
- take-no-prisoners
- belligerent
- blood-and-guts
Adjective
-
Ancient Greeks wagered on the (occasionally rigged) early Olympic Games; Romans bet on chariot races and gladiatorial contests (also sometimes rigged).—
McKay Coppins,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
-
One of the city’s star attractions is the huge 25,000-seat Great Theater, used for theatrical performances, public assemblies, religious ceremonies and, in the Roman era, gladiatorial battles.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Royals’ depth becomes in-your-face obvious.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Politically incorrect and in-your-face, with plenty of dark humor accentuating the drama, the show resembles the more cutting-edge TV — think Borgen or Rita — made by Sweden’s ruder neighbor Denmark.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Your 9th House of Mental Growth takes the spotlight as the empathetic Moon fusses over combative Mars.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
She was fired by Trump following a series of combative congressional hearings, in which she was questioned about the agency's aggressive immigration enforcement actions, which culminated in the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The critics are not kind to him in either performance, but Scorsese is impressed with his work ethic and pugnacious attitude.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The flag-waving, the face paint, the pugnacious songs, the banners, the bellicose taunts at the opponents, the arms flung out in unison foster a collective spirit that can turn violent at times.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Administration officials have similarly framed her as a pragmatic counterpart willing to engage on energy, migration and security issues — a sharp contrast with the more confrontational posture associated with Maduro’s rule.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
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During the major social upheavals of 2011 and 2019, students adopted a confrontational stance against the political and business elite to demand systemic reforms.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But some specialists in legal ethics expressed doubts at the time that the additional pledge would affect courtroom behavior — the late Stanford Law professor Deborah Rhode said some lawyers simply conclude that a take-no-prisoners attitude would help their client.—
Bob Egelko,
San Francisco Chronicle,
16 Mar. 2026
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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
Adjective
-
Noem and her staff were belligerent toward Democrats and also toward reporters, many of whom were skeptical of their methods and claims.—
Nick Miroff,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
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If anything, the regime is more defiant, belligerent, and brazen, determined to prevail at any cost.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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Still, these sections lack the blood-and-guts tension of her interactions with her mother.—
Madeline Leung Coleman,
Vulture,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bare-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare-knuckle. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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