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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The protest was cheered by some liberals but infuriated more centrist lawmakers wary that the in-your-face demonstration could alienate moderate Republicans and independents in their battleground districts.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
3 Apr. 2025 -
If anything, the Rainbow tracks illustrate the youthful grit with which Yes combined their virtuoso tendencies onstage with a certain in-your-face raggedness.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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While slightly less combative than Kayhan, Javan still conveyed conditional skepticism, framing Washington's intentions as unclear and demanding visible signs of commitment before endorsing the process.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
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Peterson did not mention President Trump or his administration's combative stance against federal judges and the courts.—
Thomas Wheatley,
Axios,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For several years, Bolsonaro had engaged in a ferocious feud with the Supreme Court—and particularly with Alexandre de Moraes, a pugnacious jurist who is sometimes described as the second most powerful man in Brazil.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
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Its shares have dropped 35 percent this calendar year, a vertiginous slide that has coincided with the abrupt rise of Mr. Musk’s pugnacious profile in government and politics.—
Jeff Sommer,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Elon Musk embodies it in all its brash, take-no-prisoners glory.—
Leisse Wilcox,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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And no one can remain beautiful, in the same way, forever, though Kilmer’s mischievous, take-no-prisoners smile hadn’t changed much.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Houthis are what one veteran Yemen-watcher calls the honey badgers of resistance, referring to the belligerent mammal known for its fearless attitude toward predators.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2025
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The driver pulled out a gun and fired six shots, the witness said, hitting not only the belligerent passenger but also an uninvolved man sitting nearby.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This is a blood-and-guts medical-show model, in which everything teeters on the brink of catastrophe at all times and the doctors are adrenaline junkies approximately one shift away from a complete mental breakdown.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
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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
Adjective
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And in Lebanon, a series of Israeli attacks on the country have decapitated the militant group Hezbollah.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
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The group wrote to Bondi to argue that the influencer should be investigated over whether she has been paid to spread propaganda for Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in Gaza, it was first reported by the New York Post.—
Lauren Irwin,
The Hill,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In fact, most bird watchers have never seen aggregations of hummingbirds that were not actively fighting over food or mates, but astonishingly, one species has overcome their bellicose nature to nest peacefully in colonies.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Consider the People's Liberation Army's increasingly bellicose military and exercises in the Taiwan Strait.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 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 24 Apr. 2025.
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