variants
also bare-knuckled
or bare-knuckles
as in gladiatorial
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare-knuckle
Adjective
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Berg’s series pushes the limits of violence and cruelty, but his rugged, in-your-face style succeeds in keeping you on edge and spares no one.—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
17 Jan. 2025 -
The women try sketchy cash-advance loans and then giving blood, which turns into a messy set piece, executed with as much in-your-face fluid as gross-out classics like There’s Something About Mary or Monty Python’s Mr. Creosote sketch.—
Fred Topel,
Deadline,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Vance's combative tone was emblematic of the broader MAGA cultural agenda, which prioritizes division over unity and power over mercy.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
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So even as Chinese officials are welcoming overtures from a less combative Trump in week one of his presidency, there’s skepticism within China that those warmer-than-expected signals will last.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Even in the courtroom drama, Basso showed his gusto for physical realism by incorporating signs of fighting damage for his pugnacious but legally innocent character.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
24 Jan. 2025
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Detroit has been pugnacious, shouldering a bevy of recent critical injuries to its defense.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Lions are the most complete team in the league, a byproduct of their fearless coach’s take-no-prisoners mantra.—
Zak Keefer,
The Athletic,
25 Nov. 2024
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If there is any justice, and the election results could factor into this, Sebastian Stan, perfection as the younger Trump, and a terrific Jeremy Strong as his take-no-prisoners lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn both deserve Oscar consideration.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
20 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has taken a more belligerent stand in world politics during the Biden administration, abandoning its Trump-era defensive posture in favor of active cooperation with its few allies.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
13 Jan. 2025
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Advertisement In a belligerent California landscape only provisionally tamed by human hands, fire is an inevitability.—
Julia Wick,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 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
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The confirmation dealt, at least symbolically, a powerful blow to the militant group, particularly since the elusive Deif was considered iconic among Hamas fighters for surviving multiple assassination attempts.—
Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports,
arkansasonline.com,
31 Jan. 2025
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For now, the failure to formulate a plan to replace Hamas in Gaza means the militant group will be able to maintain its grip there and, many Israelis fear, rebuild the same tunnel network and weapons cache that allowed the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in the first place.—
Dina Kraft,
The Christian Science Monitor,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Consider, for instance, that members of the interim government, despite their Islamist backgrounds, have refrained from any bellicose anti-Israeli rhetoric.—
Volker Perthes,
Foreign Affairs,
24 Jan. 2025
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The United States and China appear destined for a military conflict, with bellicose rhetoric on both sides, an escalating arms race and Beijing widely considered the most serious threat to the U.S. since the Cold War.—
Brad Dress,
The Hill,
7 Jan. 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 Feb. 2025.
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