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
-
Meanwhile, a lonely hulk of a man—Christian Bale with some staples stuck through his forehead—wends his way through the Chicago streets, in search of the one scientist who may be able to help him.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Alex Wang was the hard-luck loser for Cistercian (3-13, 0-6) going 7 innings scattering 3 hits with an unearned run, 2 strikeouts and one walk.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Winners and losers are coming into sharper focus as the battle intensifies to retain and attract people.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Despite advances in breast imaging, breast biopsy remains the only definitive method to determine whether a suspicious lump is cancerous.—
Quing Zhu,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl; discard any lumps.—
Erin Merhar,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For starters, there are the cost savings of getting one of these not-so-in-demand mutts.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Much of the rising interest is tied to claims that these mixed pooches possess more desirable aspects than many purebreeds or mutts.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Design There’s a reason James Bond villains chase 007’s Aston Martin in fleets of black Defenders.—
John Scott Lewinski,
Robb Report,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Wagner had only occasional presence and went MIA for awhile, coming across as a shady character and a possible villain who was set up as a potential love interest for Morgan early on.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Lluís then calls Puig Antich a moron.—
Colm Tóibín,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2026
-
This drunk moron — quite different from his character in the novel — bears a ton of blame.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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When Feld Entertainment unveiled a new edition of the circus with much fanfare in 2023, the only animal in it was a mechanical robot dog and while there was some comedy, traditional circus clowns were not a part of it.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
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In Nuremberg,Göring is closer to a sad clown than to a monster.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Health officials in Oakland County reported that a resident was bitten by a skunk last Friday, which tested positive for rabies earlier this week.—
Eric Henderson,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Authorities found a total of 105 dead animals, including 77 rabbits, 23 chickens, two cats, a duck, a skunk and a squirrel, according to the warrant affidavit.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Palooka.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palooka. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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