bare-knuckle

adjective or adverb

bare-knuck·​le ˈber-ˈnə-kəl 

variants or less commonly bare-knuckled

ˈber-ˈnə-kəld 

or bare-knuckles

ˈber-ˈnə-kəlz 

1

: not using boxing gloves

champion bare-knuckle prizefighter of England

—Dennis Craig

when men fought bare-knuckle

2

: having a fierce unrelenting character

bare-knuckle politics

Examples of bare-knuckle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Whereas Democrats prefer institutionalist rules of engagement — shake hands, no rough stuff, wear your helmets and mouth guards — Cooksey sees federal elections as bare-knuckle brawls in which contenders take it to the bitter end. —Peter H. Schwartz, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025

The film shows how Cohn’s bare-knuckle approach shaped a young Trump. —Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025

McLean said other theories about the name include bare-knuckle boxing matches that occurred the day after Christmas, or that many people return their boxes of unwanted gifts that day. —Amanda Cappelli, CBS News, 26 Dec. 2024

When David Feldman of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) held the first sanctioned bare-knuckle event in history at a hockey rink in Cheyenne, Wyoming, only 2,000 people showed up. —Brian Roberts, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1