as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
a bar that was once a favorite haunt of brawly servicemen from the nearby military base
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawly
Adjective
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In the meantime, an unstable government could become more rather than less aggressive, not least to keep younger hard-liners from rebelling.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026 -
Wiener helped push two new California laws last year — the No Secret Police Act and the No Vigilantes Act — in the wake of intense and aggressive immigration enforcement by masked ICE and other federal agents in California and around the country.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Although Pakistan's capital has seen relatively few attacks compared with other regions, the country has experienced a recent rise in militant violence.—
MUNIR AHMED,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
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Although Pakistan’s capital has seen relatively few attacks compared with other regions, the country has experienced a recent rise in militant violence.—
Munir Ahmed,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The hostile bid came as Nexstar Media Group agreed to acquire Tegna, in a $6 billion transaction that would run afoul of the FCC’s 39% ownership cap; Nexstar has filed for a waiver to the ownership cap.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
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The 31-year-old Puerto Rican singer’s celebration of Hispanic culture could hardly have arrived at a more hostile moment for Latinos.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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His margin of victory was 481 votes, and he was declared the winner several weeks after the election following a contentious recount.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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The Clippers also traded Chris Paul, who hadn’t been with the team since November after his return turned contentious amid the early struggles.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Chief Judge James Boasberg ruled in two more surge cases involving Paul Nguyen and Nathalie Rose Jones, each accused of assaultive or threatening conduct during summer protests.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Nov. 2025
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Corigliano’s symphony is assaultive in style and confrontational in intent.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Brawly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawly. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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