variants
also bare-knuckled
or bare-knuckles
as in gladiatorial
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare-knuckle
Adjective
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What to know: Stingy, in-your-face defense that has its lowest opponents’ average points (63.7) since 2012-2013 (58.1).—
Michael Waterloo,
The Athletic,
16 Mar. 2025 -
And as many women know, that kind of in-your-face femininity can also be an armor.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Small, combative players who can win second balls will do the job.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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The moment was classic Fine, a politician who may be the Florida legislature’s brashest and most combative.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Official government accounts are now filled with right-wing memes, cinematic videos and pugnacious statements.—
Matt Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2025
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His primary professional experience over the last decade has been picking fights and shaping narratives as a pugnacious media personality.—
Eric Cortellessa,
TIME,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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My mother is a take-no-prisoners kind of woman; in fact, all the women in my family are bulldozers.—
Anna Lee Iijima,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2025
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Allen Iverson, another take-no-prisoners competitor, had 35 for the East.—
Jerry McDonald,
The Mercury News,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This cell just across from some very belligerent grown-ass man?—
Marah Eakin,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2025
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Even if a bill collector is rude or becomes belligerent, keep your cool.—
Staff,
Sacramento Bee,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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That realization elevates the film’s campy blood-and-guts from gore to gut-punch.—
Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo,
WWD,
1 Dec. 2024
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The striking contrast with everything heard earlier — not just the music but the blood-and-guts oratory — was bewildering, and in the midst of the temporary bewilderment, Melania emerged in her trim, bright-red skirt suit.—
Philip Kennicott,
Washington Post,
19 July 2024
Adjective
-
Why did the ceasefire break down? Both Israel and the Trump administration have blamed Hamas for the resumption of hostilities, citing the militant group's refusal to meet Israel's demand to release more hostages in return for the resumption of talks.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC News,
19 Mar. 2025
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Israel launched its military assault on Gaza after the militant group Hamas killed at least 1,200 people in Israel and abducted more than 250 others on October 7, 2023.—
Don Riddell,
CNN,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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At the same time, Barnes was a crank of operatic grandiosity—thin-skinned, bellicose, distrustful, fickle, and vindictive.—
Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2025
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has accused the United States and South Korea of increasing tensions with their joint drills and Pyongyang often responds with bellicose threats.—
Yoonjung Seo,
CNN,
6 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bare-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare-knuckle. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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