as in hulk
a big clumsy often slow-witted person
I wish he wouldn't bring over here that bunch of palookas he calls his friends
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Recent Examples of palooka
Don’t be a palooka, start Nacua.
—
Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024
One year after the Academy bafflingly ignored his work in Sideways, Giamatti finally scored his first Oscar nomination for his purely entertaining performance as boxing manager Joe Gould in Ron Howard’s proudly old-fashioned Depression-era palooka drama.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
Sylvester Stallone's underdog tale about a struggling palooka given one shot at the heavyweight championship is a stirring sports movie with a level of charm and sweetness that dissipated in the rounds (and rounds) of sequels that followed.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 25 July 2019
All this real guts and glory in Philadelphia, yet one of the big tourist attractions is to run up the Art Museum steps the way a palooka named Rocky Balboa did on the silver screen.
—Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 1 Jan. 2018
Without it, director Phillipe Falardeau's film would be a fairly unremarkable, fairly familiar ride, telling the tale of a big-hearted but undisciplined palooka whose biggest hurdle in life is his own bad judgment.
—Mike Scott, NOLA.com, 17 May 2017
The jokes, by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser, have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2017
The jokes (by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser) have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2017
Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024
One year after the Academy bafflingly ignored his work in Sideways, Giamatti finally scored his first Oscar nomination for his purely entertaining performance as boxing manager Joe Gould in Ron Howard’s proudly old-fashioned Depression-era palooka drama.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
Sylvester Stallone's underdog tale about a struggling palooka given one shot at the heavyweight championship is a stirring sports movie with a level of charm and sweetness that dissipated in the rounds (and rounds) of sequels that followed.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 25 July 2019
All this real guts and glory in Philadelphia, yet one of the big tourist attractions is to run up the Art Museum steps the way a palooka named Rocky Balboa did on the silver screen.
—Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 1 Jan. 2018
Without it, director Phillipe Falardeau's film would be a fairly unremarkable, fairly familiar ride, telling the tale of a big-hearted but undisciplined palooka whose biggest hurdle in life is his own bad judgment.
—Mike Scott, NOLA.com, 17 May 2017
The jokes, by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser, have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2017
The jokes (by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser) have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palooka
Noun
-
Known for his muscular build and hulk-like roles in Hollywood as much as his political record, perhaps even more so, Schwarzenegger is an icon in the bodybuilding universe.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Remember the scene in Marvel's The Avengers, when Bruce Banner transformed into the hulk and punched a Chitauri Leviathan in the face, bringing it to a sudden halt?—
Chris McMullen,
Space.com,
28 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
As an abstract argument there is no necessary winner or loser between those two poles of belief.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
The index is sharply lower on the session, with Samsung one of the biggest losers.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
One is debt settlement, which involves negotiating with the creditor or debt collector on a lump-sum settlement amount that's less than the full amount owed.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
For dinner, seafood is certainly on the menu with options ranging from linguini and clams to shrimp and grits to jumbo lump crab cakes.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
Noun
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The mutts' temperaments also tend to be more adaptable; unlike purebreds bred for specific tasks, mutts are typically easier to train, more flexible, and well suited to a variety of lifestyles.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Nov. 2025
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That rescue mutt had been known for years as Everest, but enough of that.—
Jim Cramer,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Clutching a mysterious tool the shape of a mouse coffin, Firth’s villain tracks Daniel’s location by mentally transplanting himself into another person’s body, changing the color of their pupils to his own icy blue.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
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Will Victor Wembanyama continue his villain turn at MSG?—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
10 June 2026
Noun
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This drunk moron — quite different from his character in the novel — bears a ton of blame.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
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That they would be regarded as slothful morons who aren't worth the price of a ticket of admission.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Hints at the canonical Big Daddies of existential clown float through the air — Beckett would recognize this pair, and so would Jean Genet.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
14 June 2026
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In showcasing the comedy and entertainment skills of drag queens, rather than the lip-syncing talents most people might be familiar with, the movie in effect asks critics of drag what exactly is so scary about a bunch of glamorous clowns.—
David Mack,
CNN Money,
10 June 2026
Noun
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In this case, hospital staff who treated the Idaho man were initially unaware of the skunk scratch and attributed his symptoms to chronic comorbidities.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Dec. 2025
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Further investigation revealed that the donor had become infected with the fatal virus after saving a kitten from a skunk.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
10 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Palooka.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palooka. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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