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
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In America's gladiatorial two-party system, that could well deprive Republicans of a winning political issue with which to batter out-of-touch, climate change-besotted Democrats.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Dec. 2025
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Speaking a few days before his eagerly awaited womenswear debut for Dior, Anderson described the feeling of stepping into a gladiatorial arena.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The more subdued whip stitch pillow cover features graphic contrast stitching for some minimalist detail that’s not too in-your-face.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Try topping off a deep, neutral outfit with an in-your-face neon beanie, or tone down a print-heavy look with a simple off-white or black style.—
Alison Syrett Cleary,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Bovino, 55, has been the face of the Minneapolis ICE operation in recent weeks, which has seen the shooting deaths of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti and 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good by federal agents — as well as the combative protests that followed.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
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The final minutes of an enthralling, combative contest were played out in relative serenity.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Instead Linda devolves, becoming more pugnacious and thin-skinned and pissed off.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
-
The lieutenant governor is campaigning as the pugnacious, liberal choice in her matchup against Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., a more centrist Democrat who has won tough House races.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
10 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Let the friendship end naturally Assuming this is a mom friend without any ties to your family, the easiest, least confrontational method is to let the friendship fizzle out.—
Hannah Nwoko,
Parents,
25 Jan. 2026
-
His taste in cable-news hosts (male ones, that is) ran toward confrontational populists like Bill O’Reilly, who was then Fox’s biggest star.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Anna may be be the most solid of the bunch, a take-no-prisoners (so to speak) type who may be sturdier than any of the men.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
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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
Adjective
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But his belligerent foreign policy once again overshadowed his attempts at a cohesive economic message.—
Danielle Kurtzleben,
NPR,
21 Jan. 2026
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Lately, the president has revisited his preoccupation with annexing Greenland in an increasingly belligerent manner.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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.—
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 1 Feb. 2026.
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