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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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
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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
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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While rejecting his successor George Gascón’s move to support a resentencing of the brothers, plus dashing their hopes for a new trial in recent weeks, Hochman today made a point outside the courthouse of trying to tone down his previous bellicose stance.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2025
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Whereas other música Mexicana acts have built massive audiences by singing about their more bellicose escapades, Cornejo has made a name for himself by focusing on matters of the heart.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
10 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 27 Apr. 2025.
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