brawler

[braw-ler]

noun

1. a person who fights angrily, noisily, and roughly, often under the influence of alcohol.

   He was a scrapper and brawler, a drunk and a bully, often hauled before the justices for punching someone.

2. a contentious or argumentative person.

   No doubt about it—this congressman is a brawler, but it appears he’s all bark and no bite.

3. a practitioner of a style of boxing characterized by very powerful punches with little variety of technique or skilled footwork.

   Most brawlers tend to walk into range with no jabs or setups and very little head movement.

4. any computer game of a genre that features hand-to-hand combat, often focused on a hero who is greatly outnumbered.

   Join your favorite anime heroes for an epic fight to the finish in this old-school brawler.

Word History and Origins

Origin of brawler¹

brawl ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Known for her coalition-building skills, Bass is not, by nature, a public brawler.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Garcia’s rapid rise in Congress shows he’s not just a brawler, but one with finesse.

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Mayor Karen Bass, not known as a public brawler until recently, is ducking punches and throwing her own jabs and uppercuts.

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Undeterred, Vance seems to be developing a role as a political brawler for Trump, going even further than the president in his outspoken criticism of the administration's foes.

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Moses, who went by “King Bobalouie,” made a name for himself as a fearless brawler who could take a punch as well as he could deliver one.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assailant 
• boxer 
• champion 
• combatant 
• mercenary 
• militant 
• opponent 
• soldier 
• tanker 
• warlord 
• warrior