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
And his kind of bare-knuckle romanticism was reinforced in me by Roethke and early Ted Hughes.
—
Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for bare-knuckle
Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
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
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
-
Fighting those of a comparable or higher status brought greater prizes, advancement in the rankings, and more glory, perhaps even discharge from the gladiatorial school.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
By contrast, Lillian’s counterpart and best friend is cast member and former standup comedian Gina Ross, a sarcastic, iconoclastic, in-your-face performer.—
Lee Kelly,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
-
No angry, in-your-face, Twitter-like battles were instigated.—
Aaron Everitt,
STAT,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
If someone tends to have more of a combative communication style, they might have been raised to see bluntness as just telling the truth.—
Nancy Pulciano,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Recently, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services issued an order that Tewksbury Hospital security officers will no longer carry or use non-lethal and defensive tactical equipment like pepper gel, batons and handcuffs to subdue violent and combative patients.—
Rick Pozniak,
Boston Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Mullin was known for a pugnacious attitude as a member of Congress and for his substantial wealth earned during his time in Washington, D.C.—
Dale Denwalt,
Oklahoman,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
King favored a genial, non-confrontational style that critics derided as too easygoing and soft for a news network, but which made his program a natural stop for politicians and entertainers who wanted to make their views known without sparking overt conflict.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The confrontational visit also comes as Pirro's name has repeatedly been floated as a potential permanent replacement for Pam Bondi as the next attorney general.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Her take-no-prisoners portrayal of Lois quickly became a defining career highlight.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
That’s how Trip Cullman’s taut, take-no-prisoners production plays it — the pulse is allegro, the casual tone spiked with gasp-inducing wickedness.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In a sea of gray-toned suits and uniforms, the woman trying to soothe her crying baby comes across as an outlier even before a belligerent young salaryman starts screaming at her for disturbing the peace.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Never has the United States had a secretary of defense less capable, more egregiously belligerent, or less suited to provide civilian direction of a war than Pete Hegseth.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
However, fighters in the UFC seem to get caught up in trying to appease the casuals who can only appreciate blood-and-guts wars.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Bare-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare-knuckle. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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