bare-knuckle

adjective

variants also bare-knuckled or bare-knuckles
Definition of bare-knucklenext
as in gladiatorial

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare-knuckle
  1. in-your-face
  2. combative
  3. pugnacious
  4. take-no-prisoners
  5. belligerent
  6. blood-and-guts
  7. militant
  8. bellicose
Adjective
  • Gas prices, an in-your-face metric that many consumers view as a real-time barometer for the cost of living, are falling fast, just as millions of Americans head to the polls.
    Matt Egan, CNN, 29 Oct. 2024
  • This design from Mori has classic winter iconography (snowflakes, polar bears in red and green scarfs) without being too in-your-face.
    Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 21 Oct. 2024
Definition of in-your-face
Adjective
  • With more than half of seniors on private Medicare Advantage plans now, this combative trend could create increasing disruption to their coverage.
    Annika Kim Constantino,Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024
  • In contrast to Biden's combative tone, Harris made a plea to all Americans, including Republicans, at a rally attended by 75,000 people at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night.
    Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
Definition of combative
Adjective
  • For decades, Alec maintained a pugnacious relationship with the press, but photographers who have followed him for years noticed a shift after Rust.
    Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 July 2024
  • The normally pugnacious Trump campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe.
    Jill Colvin, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2024
Definition of pugnacious
Adjective
  • 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
  • At first shrill and chaotic, Europe’s outrage at Trump’s take-no-prisoners Iran policy has now found a bold and practical course of action.
    Elizabeth Rosenberg, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2018
Definition of take-no-prisoners
Adjective
  • China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran are increasingly belligerent and increasingly operating in concert.
    Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
  • Iran had initially downplayed the impact of Israel’s strikes on its military facilities, but in recent days has begun to voice increasingly belligerent rhetoric.
    Aurora Almendral, NBC News, 2 Nov. 2024
Definition of belligerent
Adjective
  • 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
  • Her sharp depictions of blood-and-guts nursing brimmed with acerbic opinions on topics ranging from the unpopularity of the British consul in Volos to inaccurate reporting by journalists who lacked Greek language skills.
    Richard Byrne, The New Republic, 25 Aug. 2023
Definition of blood-and-guts
Adjective
  • Israel denies allegations of genocide in its more than year-long offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas.
    Reuters, NBC News, 11 Nov. 2024
  • Hamas kidnapped more than 200 Israelis and killed 1,200 others last Oct. 7, when the militant group's fighters overran the border with Gaza in a surprise attack.
    Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
Definition of militant
Adjective
  • And North Korea’s increasingly bellicose attitude toward its neighbors has roiled China’s diplomatic and economic relations with South Korea and Japan.
    Stephen Hadley, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2024
  • In addition to this bellicose foreign policy and disregard for American warnings, at home, Putin began to abandon Russia’s reform trajectory, instead combining an open economic system with an authoritarian regime.
    Stephan Kieninger / Made by History, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024
Definition of bellicose
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near bare-knuckle

barefaced

bare-knuckle

barely

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Bare-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare-knuckle. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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