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
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Recent Examples of gladiatorial
Under his rule, the teens are pitted against each other (and other supes) in gladiatorial-style combat.
—
EW.com, 19 Aug. 2025
EW.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gladiatorial
Adjective
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Now and in the future In the early days of the Bowman era, the Oilers appear to be more aggressive in looking for talent.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
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First, assume that classification will be litigated if the arrangement is aggressive or if the borrower is thinly capitalized.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and led to 251 being abducted.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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Broader market reactions have been muted, barring brief spikes in oil prices when Israel entered direct confrontations with Hamas’ crude-rich patron Iran and with other of Tehran’s proxies, such as Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis.—
Ruxandra Iordache,Emma Graham,
CNBC,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Biglari’s proxy battles stand as one of the longest and most contentious activist campaigns in restaurant industry history.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
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However, his second run with the company came to an abrupt and reportedly contentious end just last week, as he was fired for what has been described as disciplinary reasons.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Thanks to climate change, Cosmism’s ambivalent and generally hostile attitude towards the natural world should also sound familiar.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
12 Sep. 2025
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Another camera designed to withstand the hostile environment of space was used outside.—
Catherine Muccigrosso,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The kitchen remains bloody and agonistic, demanding the preparation of yet another family meal.—
E. Tammy Kim,
The New Yorker,
14 July 2023
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The agonistic, Faulknerian circumstances fill the house with awful silences.—
Matthew Gavin Frank,
Harper's Magazine,
21 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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Meanwhile, a warlike species would probably just wipe us out.—
Matthew Hutson,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
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His warlike actions in Iran, despite campaign promises to the contrary, blatantly bypassed the need to gain approval from the legislative branch of government.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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For many Democrats, however, Kirk was an offensive rage-baiter and the face of the MAGA movement's combative style.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Trump's combative approach to his role of healer-in-chief when tragedy strikes also represents a break from tradition, according to presidential historians who spoke with Newsweek.—
Daniel Bush,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gladiatorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gladiatorial. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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