as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
not a reasoned discussion but a shouting match between gladiatorial pundits from opposite ends of the political spectrum
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gladiatorial
Adjective
-
The prison has become a symbol of Bukele's aggressive policies that have targeted gang violence.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025 -
More likely than an all-out boycott, say attorneys, is a new era in which taxpayers and their accountants push the envelope with aggressive tax-planning techniques that may escape the review of an understaffed agency.—
Robert Frank,
CNBC,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The attack at Pahalgam on Tuesday was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), which is an offshoot of Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
-
However, Pakistan denied any connection to the attack, which was claimed by a militant group that called itself the Kashmir Resistance.—
Greg Norman,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The implementation was originally blocked in federal court and sparked a contentious legal back-and-forth.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Some of his actions have been highly contentious, including his decision to deport migrants to an El Salvadorian prison using an 18th century wartime statute — which was subject to legal challenges.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
John Shine described to me a research trip to the hostile mountain environs of Tasmania, where snakes stay under cover except for the 20 or 30 warm days each year.—
Stephen S. Hall,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Union members shared other experiences and stories, including those of an increasingly hostile work environment for some.—
Molly Guthrey,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The kitchen remains bloody and agonistic, demanding the preparation of yet another family meal.—
E. Tammy Kim,
The New Yorker,
14 July 2023
-
The agonistic, Faulknerian circumstances fill the house with awful silences.—
Matthew Gavin Frank,
Harper's Magazine,
21 Dec. 2022
Adjective
-
The bottom line: Bipartisanship is the most obvious casualty of Schumer's new warlike posture toward the GOP.—
Hans Nichols,
Axios,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Freyja, however, is a more warlike goddess, and even has a part in selecting warriors for her hall in the afterlife.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The president’s softer tone towards China, despite no formal talks, was in stark contrast to his more combative rhetoric earlier in April.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Over the chaotic weekend that follows, people-pleaser Edward must juggle his burgeoning career plans with the care of four eccentric, combative, and wildly different ladies — none of whom really get along with any of the others.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
23 Apr. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Gladiatorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gladiatorial. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share