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
In the co-main event, fan favorite Nate Diaz battled Mike Perry, of bare-knuckle boxing fame, in a two-round banger filled with far more blood than any display of the jiu-jitsu that propelled Diaz to stardom.
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Mark Puleo,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
This kind of bare-knuckle politics might explain why so many other GOP leaders are uneasy.
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The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
The bare-knuckle-boxing bouts of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movies.
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Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
And videos that Patriot Front’s members have shared online – which have been viewed by CNN – show the training, the spiritual rituals and the bloody, bare-knuckle fights that take place inside.
—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bare-knuckle
Mark Puleo,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
This kind of bare-knuckle politics might explain why so many other GOP leaders are uneasy.
—
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
The bare-knuckle-boxing bouts of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movies.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
And videos that Patriot Front’s members have shared online – which have been viewed by CNN – show the training, the spiritual rituals and the bloody, bare-knuckle fights that take place inside.
—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
15 Dec. 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
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Many people have noted the similarities to ancient gladiatorial contests.
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Some critics view gladiatorial displays of violence as inappropriate for a historic anniversary and complain that the spectacle hits a discordant note amid war in Iran and rising prices.
Adjective
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There are other ways to unsettle a penalty taker without being as in-your-face as Martinez.
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And as if that wasn’t enough, the biggest, most in-your-face reason to applaud Genesis for its performance last weekend simply comes down to the fact that the automaker is still in its infancy.
Adjective
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Beliefs bump against reality as the emotional Moon activates your 9th House of Learning, quincunx combative Mars in your 4th House of Home.
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The responding officer recognized Poirier from his professional fighting career and requested backup because of what the report described as his combative behavior.
Adjective
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He was known as a pugnacious investigator who had dismantled some of the country’s most violent gangs.
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The narrator’s family has moved to an affluent part of Bengaluru, and their attempts to head off meddling outsiders are at times subtle, at times pugnacious, but always hilarious.
Adjective
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But from coast to coast, confrontational progressives are advancing in mayoral races.
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But from coast to coast, confrontational progressives are advancing in mayoral races.
Adjective
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And Childress got an Earnhardt descendant in Busch — a driver who some considered a villain for his take-no-prisoners style, a father, an all-time great who for the longest time couldn’t win the biggest race of them all.
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Lemieux played a total of 1,215 games in the NHL, and his statistics were legion, as was his take-no-prisoners reputation.
Adjective
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Athens was a belligerent city-state that fell victim to its own aggressions.
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Instead, the ideologues of Russian imperialism have turned to random musings and belligerent hate speech, which seems intended to confuse rather than convince.
Adjective
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However, fighters in the UFC seem to get caught up in trying to appease the casuals who can only appreciate blood-and-guts wars.
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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.
Cite this Entry
“Bare-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare-knuckle. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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