as in bully
a person who teases, threatens, or hurts smaller, weaker, or more vulnerable persons
residents reported on some bullyboys who were causing problems at the park
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bullyboy
Beijing’s bullyboy tactics were starting to hit uncomfortably close to home.
—
Mark L. Clifford, WSJ, 27 Jan. 2022
Barletta was a friend and former student of George Shultz, then U.S. secretary of state, and suddenly critics of Noriega’s bullyboy rule found a more attentive audience within the Reagan administration.
—Glenn Garvin, miamiherald, 30 May 2017
The election campaign was, in retrospect, the ultimate Trump display of bullyboy arrogance.
—Michael D'antonio, CNN, 18 May 2017
Chaffetz’s shtick — bullyboy investigator targeting the right’s bogeymen — worked when Hillary Clinton and/or President Obama were his targets.
—Jennifer Rubin, The Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2017
Mark L. Clifford, WSJ, 27 Jan. 2022
Barletta was a friend and former student of George Shultz, then U.S. secretary of state, and suddenly critics of Noriega’s bullyboy rule found a more attentive audience within the Reagan administration.
—Glenn Garvin, miamiherald, 30 May 2017
The election campaign was, in retrospect, the ultimate Trump display of bullyboy arrogance.
—Michael D'antonio, CNN, 18 May 2017
Chaffetz’s shtick — bullyboy investigator targeting the right’s bogeymen — worked when Hillary Clinton and/or President Obama were his targets.
—Jennifer Rubin, The Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bullyboy
Noun
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Other notable cast members include John Lithgow as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore; Paapa Essiedu as enigmatic potions professor Severus Snape; and Lox Pratt as Hogwarts bully Draco Malfoy.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
15 July 2025
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The lopsided deal with Vietnam suggests that Trump can successfully use the tariff threat to bully concessions out of smaller economies.—
Paul Wiseman,
Chicago Tribune,
9 July 2025
Noun
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They are professedly based on hunches that the enemy will attack, occupy or conquer at some future time unless the enemy is obliterated.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
24 July 2025
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Iris and Isaac’s idyll is interrupted by the enemy of all great budding romances: the truth.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
23 July 2025
Noun
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The 18th Street thugs then attacked a second victim with large wooden planks, causing lacerations that required sutures.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
10 July 2025
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Plus, she wasn’t forced to live in a remote jungle compound surrounded by gun-toting thugs, because no one was coming after her.—
Sam Kelly,
Time,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bullyboy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bullyboy. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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