bareknuckle

or bare·knuck·led

[bair-nuhk-uh l]

adjective

(of a prizefight, prizefighter, etc.) without boxing gloves; using the bare fists.
without conventional niceties; rough-and-tumble.

adverb

without boxing gloves.
in a rough-and-tumble manner.

Origin of bareknuckle

First recorded in 1920–25; bare¹ + knuckle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bare-knuckle

Contemporary Examples of bare-knuckle

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, my third book, changed my life and put me on bare-knuckle terms with my abilities.
The Stacks: How The Berlin Wall Inspired John le Carré’s First Masterpiece
John le Carré
November 8, 2014
How could it be that this word, and not “what” or “why,” has caused a bare-knuckle brawl at such a stratospheric social level?
How One Lawsuit Shows What’s Wrong With America
James Poulos
October 20, 2014
After the bare-knuckle brawl Ben Quayle has faced, however, his brother may think twice about following his lead.
Ready for Another Quayle?
Benjamin Sarlin
August 13, 2010

British Dictionary definitions for bare-knuckle

bare-knuckle

adjective

without boxing glovesa bare-knuckle fight
aggressive and without reservationsa bare-knuckle confrontation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012