GUNSEL Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

gunsel

noun

Definition of gunsel

slang

as in racketeer

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of gunsel Generally, Complaining About The Cost is the first page of the playbook for politicians under investigation by special counsels, and for their gunsels and mouthpieces as well. — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 5 Dec. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gunsel

Noun

Rankin singles out the remarkable career of Sakai Eizo, a racketeer who founded the Great Japanese Order of Righteousness.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Of course, entrusting waste management to gangsters and racketeers has repercussions.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 July 2026

Definition of racketeer

Noun

All those old Warner Brothers gangster movies were always playing on TV.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026
The Capone associates lined up six members of Moran's gang, and a seventh unaffiliated man who apparently liked hanging out with gangsters, against the north wall of the garage.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of gangster

Noun

Matt taking down the mobsters who wronged him may qualify as an understandable form of street justice, but his next move is unjustifiable.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026
In a rare lead role, one that gives him a frankly magnificent coat, Turturro adds to his late-career renaissance as an old-school pickpocket who runs afoul of a Gen-Z mobster.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of mobster

Noun

His warning was meant for American eyes and ears at least as much — if not more so — than for the government in Jerusalem that until now has encouraged the hoodlums by tolerating their violence.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
Also in his orbit are a consortium of crooks, including his cousin Freddie, a hip junkie, and Pepper, a taciturn hoodlum who was friends with Ray’s dad, Big Mike, a legendary thief.

— Niela Orr, Vulture, 20 July 2026

Definition of hoodlum

Noun

The other was Albrecht Hohler, thirty, a Communist member of the paramilitary group the Red Front Fighters and well known locally as a particularly vicious thug—a petty criminal who had been released from jail only a few months earlier.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
These low-level thugs typically are not believed to be formally aligned with Iran.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of thug

Noun

The two sides fired white, smoky volleys, their guns making a black-powder hiss-bang.

— Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Javits, who dreamed of becoming a doctor, was remembered fondly Monday when his fellow students staged a walkout and spoke out about bullying and gun violence.

— Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of gun

Noun

The alleged triggerman was not — John Gurino was gunned down in a 2003 dispute with a Boca Raton deli owner.

— Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 5 July 2026
Broadnax, who was tried as the triggerman, was sentenced to death, while Cummings, who was tried as his accomplice, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

— Jamie Landers, Dallas Morning News, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of triggerman

Noun

Horowitz then brought up Skarsgard’s longtime interest in playing a villain in the James Bond franchise.

— Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2026
Much psychological research has focussed on the degradation of villains, but a symmetrical force works to elevate victims.

— Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of villain

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Style

“Gunsel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gunsel. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of gunsel

noun

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