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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gladiatorial
Adjective
-
Trump prompts a more aggressive digital posture Democrats adopted a more combative stance online in recent weeks as Trump’s moves to slash the federal workforce drew protests from liberals and pushback at GOP town halls.—
Matt Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2025 -
As a result, teams are taking a more aggressive approach.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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
-
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
-
Given the timing, data about Wisconsin’s contentious judicial race is less plentiful than what might be on hand, say, during a presidential or midterm election.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2025
-
The pair, who called it quits for the second time in August 2023, are still in the midst of their contentious divorce.—
Karen Fratti,
People.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Home to one of the world’s largest refugee populations – most of them from Afghanistan – Pakistan has not always welcomed the foreigners, subjecting them to hostile living conditions and threatening deportation over the years.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Andreas typically waits until there have been three instances of potential hostile communication before asking her friend or colleague if everything is OK.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The kitchen remains bloody and agonistic, demanding the preparation of yet another family meal.—
E. Tammy Kim,
The New Yorker,
14 July 2023
-
The agonistic, Faulknerian circumstances fill the house with awful silences.—
Matthew Gavin Frank,
Harper's Magazine,
21 Dec. 2022
Adjective
-
The bottom line: Bipartisanship is the most obvious casualty of Schumer's new warlike posture toward the GOP.—
Hans Nichols,
Axios,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Freyja, however, is a more warlike goddess, and even has a part in selecting warriors for her hall in the afterlife.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Small, combative players who can win second balls will do the job.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
-
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Gladiatorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gladiatorial. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share