as in hulk
a big clumsy often slow-witted person
I wish he wouldn't bring over here that bunch of palookas he calls his friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of palooka
One year after the Academy bafflingly ignored his work in Sideways, Giamatti finally scored his first Oscar nomination for his purely entertaining performance as boxing manager Joe Gould in Ron Howard’s proudly old-fashioned Depression-era palooka drama.
—
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
Sylvester Stallone's underdog tale about a struggling palooka given one shot at the heavyweight championship is a stirring sports movie with a level of charm and sweetness that dissipated in the rounds (and rounds) of sequels that followed.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 25 July 2019
All this real guts and glory in Philadelphia, yet one of the big tourist attractions is to run up the Art Museum steps the way a palooka named Rocky Balboa did on the silver screen.
—Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 1 Jan. 2018
The jokes (by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser) have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2017
Without it, director Phillipe Falardeau's film would be a fairly unremarkable, fairly familiar ride, telling the tale of a big-hearted but undisciplined palooka whose biggest hurdle in life is his own bad judgment.
—Mike Scott, NOLA.com, 17 May 2017
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
Sylvester Stallone's underdog tale about a struggling palooka given one shot at the heavyweight championship is a stirring sports movie with a level of charm and sweetness that dissipated in the rounds (and rounds) of sequels that followed.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 25 July 2019
All this real guts and glory in Philadelphia, yet one of the big tourist attractions is to run up the Art Museum steps the way a palooka named Rocky Balboa did on the silver screen.
—Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 1 Jan. 2018
The jokes (by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser) have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2017
Without it, director Phillipe Falardeau's film would be a fairly unremarkable, fairly familiar ride, telling the tale of a big-hearted but undisciplined palooka whose biggest hurdle in life is his own bad judgment.
—Mike Scott, NOLA.com, 17 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palooka
Noun
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Kadyrov’s fighters were instrumental in the final assault on Donetsk Airport in January, having fought for months to capture the wrecked hulk of buildings that once made up the passenger terminals.—
Nicholas Waller,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Apr. 2015
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There were literal piles of dead and mangled Russians around the smoldering hulks.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
1 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Of course, there was at least one huge financial loser in all of this: insurance companies.—
Greg Rosalsky,
NPR,
23 Jan. 2025
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That merely raises the dangerous specter of future lawless conduct by other poor losers and undermines the rule of law.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Just in time for Christmas, certain members of Congress are hard at work in their policy shops, fashioning a massive lump of cybersecurity coal with which to gift American users of electronic devices.—
David Williams,
National Review,
26 Dec. 2024
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Ten years ago, the European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe pulled up alongside a dusty, icy lump the size of a mountain.—
Elise Cutts,
WIRED,
22 Dec. 2024
Noun
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In Vermont, a fast-acting witness spotted a struggling 7-year-old mutt in trouble and waded into an icy river up to his waist to reunite the dog with its grateful owner.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
20 Jan. 2025
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Two lively mutts guard the noodle factory on the other side of the fence.—
Anne F. Thurston,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Feb. 2016
Noun
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His affinity for wrestling villains, or heels, adds another layer to his potential return.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
25 Jan. 2025
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Like Adeyemi/Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist could become the villain of the whole race if someone doesn’t intervene to stop it.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Some of his friends also collected drawings of clowns on jailhouse envelopes sent by their dads.—
Frank Rojas,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2025
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The buzziest piece unveiled for last year’s show consisted of two large inflatable clown heads squished between two buildings.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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For instance, if a skunk or raccoon has invaded a home, Whitmore thoroughly inspects it to understand where and how the animal enters.—
Kody Boye,
USA TODAY,
12 Dec. 2024
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Any time an agricultural producer or horse owner or home gardener has a persistent issue with dangerous or destructive animals — skunks denning under a shed, raccoons raiding a chicken coop, bears gorging in a vineyard — Chandler can assist, either with advice or, if necessary, direct intervention.—
Malcolm Brooks Malcolm Hillgartner Krish Seenivasan Zak Mouton,
New York Times,
31 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near palooka
Cite this Entry
“Palooka.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palooka. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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