gladiatorial
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of gladiatorial
1745–55; < Latin gladiātōri ( us ) ( see gladiator, -tory 1) + -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Gladiatorial combat in ancient Rome was carefully managed entertainment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Gladiatorial combat in the arena was, in the satirist Juvenal’s phrase, “bread and circuses” for the Roman masses.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Gladiatorial culture developed with the rise of what were known as games, or those events put on by elite Romans for plebeians and others socially beneath them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
A Modern Gladiatorial Environment Justin Gimelstob, former professional player Tennis is evolving and modernizing.
From New York Times • Aug. 25, 2013
Gladiatorial games, which had first taken place at funerals, and in honor of deceased friends, acquired an almost incredible popularity.
From Outline of Universal History by Fisher, George Park
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
