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The sport of boxing had its Olympic initiation more than 2,500 years ago in the 23rd Olympiad of 688 BCE. The ancient Romans adopted the sport from the Greeks, and we adopted the word pugilism from them: the Latin word pugil means "boxer." (The word is related to the Latin pugnus, meaning "fist.") Boxing faded out with the decline of the Roman Empire, but resurged in popularity in the 18th century. By the century's end, pugilist and pugilism were firmly entrenched in the English lexicon, and pugilism now sees additional use in reference to metaphorical sparring, as in a political debate.
Examples of pugilism in a Sentence
S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2024
This breeds a funny mix of pugilism and sanctimony that can be, frankly, a little unlikable.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2024
The ancient art of pugilism has been relatively untouched by time, retaining its raw appeal and primal energy.
—Oleksandr Usyk, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
The minority didn’t exactly assign its most conciliatory and pugilism-averse members, either.
—Dallas News, 6 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for pugilism 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pugilism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pugilism
Cite this Entry
“Pugilism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pugilism. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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