as in bully
a person who teases, threatens, or hurts smaller, weaker, or more vulnerable persons
residents reported on some bullyboys who were causing problems at the park
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bullyboy
Beijing’s bullyboy tactics were starting to hit uncomfortably close to home.
—
Mark L. Clifford, WSJ, 27 Jan. 2022
Barletta was a friend and former student of George Shultz, then U.S. secretary of state, and suddenly critics of Noriega’s bullyboy rule found a more attentive audience within the Reagan administration.
—Glenn Garvin, miamiherald, 30 May 2017
The election campaign was, in retrospect, the ultimate Trump display of bullyboy arrogance.
—Michael D'antonio, CNN, 18 May 2017
Chaffetz’s shtick — bullyboy investigator targeting the right’s bogeymen — worked when Hillary Clinton and/or President Obama were his targets.
—Jennifer Rubin, The Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2017
Mark L. Clifford, WSJ, 27 Jan. 2022
Barletta was a friend and former student of George Shultz, then U.S. secretary of state, and suddenly critics of Noriega’s bullyboy rule found a more attentive audience within the Reagan administration.
—Glenn Garvin, miamiherald, 30 May 2017
The election campaign was, in retrospect, the ultimate Trump display of bullyboy arrogance.
—Michael D'antonio, CNN, 18 May 2017
Chaffetz’s shtick — bullyboy investigator targeting the right’s bogeymen — worked when Hillary Clinton and/or President Obama were his targets.
—Jennifer Rubin, The Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bullyboy
Noun
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To many ballet dancers, Chalamet sounded like an ignorant bully.—
Chloe Angyal,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
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When looking at this season only, Jean-Philippe Mateta (80 per cent) tops the tap-in standings, ahead of Calvert-Lewin (75 per cent) and Kevin Schade (71 per cent), while Viktor Gyokeres, a striker perhaps deliberately signed to be a stat-padding, flat-track bully, is seventh on 62 per cent.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, the Afghans claimed that more than 50 enemy soldiers had died along the border.—
Mihir Sharma,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
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The ship bears the name of a Marine Corps Reserve member who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1952 for holding off enemy forces and shielding fellow Marines during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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All the while, Sarah is being hunted by corporate intimidators Dawson (Sam Worthington) and Rosetti (Willa Fitzgerald), who want to ensure her silence.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The Democrats, though, have no problems releasing all these bloodthirsty thugs back into the neighborhood.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
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In a season 3 teaser, Peter saves Suraj Sharma's Jay Batra from some thugs at a soccer stadium.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Protagonist Birdie Chang, now in her 20s, has gone to Whidbey Island to escape TV anchor Linzie King’s book about their abuser Calvin Boyer, but no one can get away from reckoning with the real truth of the past.—
Bethanne Patrick,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
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She was raised in America, lives in America, and chooses to compete against her own country for, literally, the worst human rights abuser on the planet, China.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bullyboy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bullyboy. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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