gladiatorial

adjective

Definition of gladiatorialnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gladiatorial
  1. aggressive
  2. militant
  3. contentious
  4. hostile
  5. agonistic
  6. warlike
  7. combative
Adjective
  • In recent months, U.S., British, German and other European officials have accused Russia of organizing an increasingly aggressive sabotage campaign aimed at undermining and disrupting Western assistance to Ukraine.
    Tom Costello, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Throughout the election season, Republicans and Democrats viewed Arizona's 11 electoral college votes as up for grabs, which meant both parties did aggressive campaigning throughout the state and both Trump and Harris visited on multiple occasions.
    Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • Israel denies allegations of genocide in its more than year-long offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas.
    Reuters, NBC News, 11 Nov. 2024
  • The militant group is an al Qaeda affiliate that has fought to establish an Islamic state in Somalia based on Shariah law.
    CBS News, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024
Definition of militant
Adjective
  • Murphy admits the divided board might present a challenge as contentious conversations continue, particularly surrounding a $200 million restructuring plan for the district that involves adding middle schools.
    Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 22 Nov. 2024
  • That decision would avoid a contentious battle that could end up in court.
    Jared Gans, The Hill, 21 Nov. 2024
Definition of contentious
Adjective
  • Oasis endured a hostile split in 2009, after years of headlines related to the Gallagher siblings’ fierce rivalry.
    Sophie Williams, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2024
  • As Assad’s government teetered on the brink of collapse, Hezbollah stepped in decisively to safeguard the regime and prevent the emergence of a new regime in Damascus that would be hostile to the axis.
    Renad Mansour, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2024
Definition of hostile
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
Definition of agonistic
Adjective
  • Some characters die violently in a warlike atmosphere, and the remaining ones struggle with their losses.
    Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 12 July 2024
  • China is constantly searching for opportunities to take bits of territory and catch its opponent by surprise, without taking overt warlike actions.
    Brahma Chellaney, Foreign Affairs, 2 Apr. 2021
Definition of warlike
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
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 gladiatorial

gladiator

gladiatorial

gladiators

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Gladiatorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gladiatorial. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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