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.
The Colosseum, the largest amphitheatre in the world, was built in the first century and was used to host events like animal hunts and gladiatorial games.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Brutal and oblivious to the administrative needs of an empire,” Commodus was obsessed with gladiatorial combat, declaring himself “Hercules on Earth.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The instinct goes even further, suggesting that what should be celebrated above all else is the idea of the lone hero, the one who covers themselves in the glory of gladiatorial combat.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
He transformed the White House lawn into a makeshift Colosseum and held a modern-day gladiatorial spectacle, officially called UFC Freedom 250.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
His happiness, it turned out, was because he had killed seven mice and was feeling very proud—not to say pumped up and gladiatorial.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
