as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
not a reasoned discussion but a shouting match between gladiatorial pundits from opposite ends of the political spectrum
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gladiatorial
At the conference, Farage appeared onstage in a blaze of pyrotechnics and gladiatorial chords.
—
Sam Knight, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2025
Under his rule, the teens are pitted against each other (and other supes) in gladiatorial-style combat.
—EW.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Sam Knight, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2025
Under his rule, the teens are pitted against each other (and other supes) in gladiatorial-style combat.
—EW.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gladiatorial
Adjective
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The Dallas Cowboys and team owner Jerry Jones have been very interested in the idea of getting aggressive ahead of the upcoming NFL trade deadline.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
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Unlike their alligator cousins, which are known to occasionally attack people, American crocodiles are shyer and less aggressive.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Israel says the militant group can access the remains of most of the hostages.—
Maayan Lubell,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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Israel launched its war on Hamas after the October 7, 2023, terror attacks in which the militant group and its allies killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Sia's contentious divorce just reached a whole new level of acrimony.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
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Before the vote, Mueller engaged in a contentious exchange with Canepa over the appointment route.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Heading into a hostile environment at the Rogers Centre, the Dodgers must defeat the Toronto Blue Jays in Games 6 and 7 to clinch their second-straight World Series title.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Plot details are very hazy, but the word on the street is that the story centers on a ne’er-do-well smuggler who finds himself in the middle of a deadly double-cross while on a job in the Caribbean Sea, resulting in him surrounded by bodies, hostile mercenaries and thirsty sharks alike.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Many owners in the city feel stuck—the dog is trigger stacked from the urban environment and more likely to have agonistic reactions towards other dogs as a result.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Sep. 2025
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The kitchen remains bloody and agonistic, demanding the preparation of yet another family meal.—
E. Tammy Kim,
The New Yorker,
14 July 2023
Adjective
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Ludwig’s distant paternal ancestors were in fact German Jewish merchants, not warlike princes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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To many Chicagoans, the warlike atmosphere is the result of the increasing aggression of the federal government.—
Geraldo Cadava,
New Yorker,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Newsom has been trying to raise his national profile, adopting a combative style that parodies Trump’s social media strategy with similar all-caps posts, memes and merchandise.—
Adriana Gomez Licon,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
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The combative Andy Robertson produced the pass of the match to release Ekitike for the equaliser and like Jones, the Scottish left-back really should keep his place at Brentford with Conor Bradley set to continue on the right after Jeremie Frimpong limped off with another hamstring injury.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gladiatorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gladiatorial. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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