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
-
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
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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
Adjective
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The cameraman darted and crouched, arguably working harder than anyone else in the building to capture those breathless, in-your-face angles.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
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It’s certainly understated rather than in-your-face luxury.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Meyer, an at-times combative career litigator, was brought in from the NHL Players Association in 2018 to add muscle to a bargaining team that was viewed as having surrendered ground in the negotiations for the 2017-2021 CBA, which was almost immediately panned as a loss for the players.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Known for being a staunch player advocate and for his sometimes combative demeanor, Meyer was unanimously elected in a vote of major- and minor-league players held during a video meeting Wednesday afternoon.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Williamson’s pugnacious lyrics are grounded in manual labor and local indignities, but Planet X’s malaise transcends any neighborhood or job site, toeing the line between angst and grievance.—
Pete Tosiello,
Pitchfork,
27 Jan. 2026
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Kimmel reasserted his place as the most pugnacious of the late-night hosts during his first week back.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Much of the pro-Talarico online push centers on Crockett’s electability, a routine primary debate that grows divisive when her confrontational tactics, not her record, are targeted.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
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Popular talk show host Colin Cowherd, who is paid to have opinions, threw up his arms recently on the topic and said his only suggestion was for Silver to channel his more-confrontational predecessor David Stern and yell at losing teams.—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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 21 Feb. 2026.
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