variants
also bare-knuckled
or bare-knuckles
as in gladiatorial
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 bare-knuckle
And videos that Patriot Front’s members have shared online – which have been viewed by CNN – show the training, the spiritual rituals and the bloody, bare-knuckle fights that take place inside.
—
Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
And his kind of bare-knuckle romanticism was reinforced in me by Roethke and early Ted Hughes.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
The film followed Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam), a mainland refugee trying to pay his way to a fake ID by winning bare-knuckle brawls.
—Marcus Lim, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
The 2022 bare-knuckle holiday sensation Violent Night followed an embittered Santa, armed with lethal combat skills, who takes out a team of ruthless mercenaries to rescue a girl and her family.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bare-knuckle
Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
And his kind of bare-knuckle romanticism was reinforced in me by Roethke and early Ted Hughes.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
The film followed Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam), a mainland refugee trying to pay his way to a fake ID by winning bare-knuckle brawls.
—Marcus Lim, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
The 2022 bare-knuckle holiday sensation Violent Night followed an embittered Santa, armed with lethal combat skills, who takes out a team of ruthless mercenaries to rescue a girl and her family.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bare-knuckle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare-knuckle
- gladiatorial
- in-your-face
- combative
- pugnacious
- confrontational
- take-no-prisoners
- belligerent
- blood-and-guts
Adjective
-
Fighting those of a comparable or higher status brought greater prizes, advancement in the rankings, and more glory, perhaps even discharge from the gladiatorial school.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Ancient Greeks wagered on the (occasionally rigged) early Olympic Games; Romans bet on chariot races and gladiatorial contests (also sometimes rigged).—
McKay Coppins,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Embree was never an in-your-face taskmaster.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
The revamp removes the in-your-face articles and replaces the Widget board with a more minimalist, white-space approach.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Frank was known for his colorful and sometimes combative persona.—
Daniel Arkin,
NBC news,
20 May 2026
-
DeLuz noticed the Democrats becoming more combative, taking shots at Becerra during the last two debates as the former state attorney general is now considered the party's frontrunner.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Coup’s early records were pugnacious, laced with humor and some finger-wagging.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
Ogwumike and Atkins join a hyper-speed offense anchored by pugnacious Kelsey Plum and rim-running Dearica Hamby.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
But the latest soccer event won’t likely signal any thaw in their long-strained ties, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un maintaining his confrontational stance against South Korea.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 May 2026
-
As confrontational as his images could be, the camera was Avedon’s way of experiencing the world, a way of seeking truth through invention.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
His take-no-prisoners approach played well.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
12 May 2026
-
Chicago is known for its hard-nosed politics and take-no-prisoners attitude.—
Glenn Davis,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
When he was found, deputies said Ortiz became belligerent, yelled at employees, threatened to harm them with a gun, and grabbed one of the resort employees.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
-
In a sea of gray-toned suits and uniforms, the woman trying to soothe her crying baby comes across as an outlier even before a belligerent young salaryman starts screaming at her for disturbing the peace.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
However, fighters in the UFC seem to get caught up in trying to appease the casuals who can only appreciate blood-and-guts wars.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Dawn of the Dead's flood of blood-and-guts is among the most memorable in film history, if only for the unnaturally vivid shades of red.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bare-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare-knuckle. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
