variants
also bare-knuckled
or bare-knuckles
as in gladiatorial
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare-knuckle
Adjective
-
On Carrie, that big honking belt was very much in-your-face, but Cyrus’s barely-there micro belt fit blended right in with her ensemble.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
7 May 2025 -
The Pistons are young, competitive, brute, have already formed one of the league’s most in-your-face identities and now have experience, too.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
Adjective
-
While known for his combative political tone, Trump has often shown a softer side when speaking about his children and grandchildren.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 May 2025
-
As for the broader trajectory of U.S. policy, signs point to a less combative tone — at least for now.—
Shannon Carroll,
Quartz,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
Lai, a pugnacious former publisher whose now shuttered tabloid Apple Daily was a regular thorn in Beijing’s side, is in the midst of a national security trial that could send him to prison for life.—
Juliana Liu,
CNN Money,
10 May 2025
-
My room, tricked out in shades of mushroom, opened onto a hallway covered in its original wallpaper, depicting a sea battle complete with roiling water, boats full of pugnacious sailors, and, in the background, a dusky landscape of ancient ruins.—
Simon Willis,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2025
Adjective
-
Elon Musk embodies it in all its brash, take-no-prisoners glory.—
Leisse Wilcox,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
And no one can remain beautiful, in the same way, forever, though Kilmer’s mischievous, take-no-prisoners smile hadn’t changed much.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Welker’s belligerent attitude set the tone for the interview.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 May 2025
-
There was a woman who’d fallen asleep in her car, a belligerent guy with a dog, a Range Rover driving the wrong way.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Adjective
-
This is a blood-and-guts medical-show model, in which everything teeters on the brink of catastrophe at all times and the doctors are adrenaline junkies approximately one shift away from a complete mental breakdown.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
-
That realization elevates the film’s campy blood-and-guts from gore to gut-punch.—
Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo,
WWD,
1 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Israel blames civilian casualties on Hamas because the militant group operates from civilian areas.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2025
-
Saturday's summit comes two months after Israel ended a ceasefire reached with the Hamas militant group in January.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
Then a sudden switch: a bellicose, spine-stiffening bass line, and the instantly infamous refrain.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
15 May 2025
-
Trump, for all his bellicose rhetoric and military escalations, has always been deeply skeptical of getting into another major Middle Eastern war.—
Marc Lynch,
Foreign Affairs,
12 May 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Bare-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare-knuckle. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share