pugilist

[pyoo-juh-list]

noun

a person who fights with the fists; a boxer, usually a professional.

Origin of pugilist

1780–90; < Latin pugil (see pugilism) + -ist

Related formspu·gi·lis·tic, adjectivepu·gi·lis·ti·cal·ly, adverbun·pu·gil·is·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pugilistic

Contemporary Examples of pugilistic

For starters, the pugilistic Governor framed his record as being about results, as opposed to partisan politics.
Hillary Clinton Vs. the GOP Boys’ Club: Fighting for the Female Vote
Lloyd Green
October 21, 2013
But when a boxer is caught juicing his gloves, the pugilistic community turns away in disgust.
How the Saints Players Betrayed the Football Brotherhood
Gordon Marino
March 21, 2012
I pressed Stevens about the risk to his candidate of such a pugilistic approach.
Mitt Romney Smacks Newt Gingrich in Florida Brawl at NBC Debate
Howard Kurtz
January 24, 2012
Sin City brought out the devil in the GOP candidates tonight, delivering the most pugilistic Republican Party debate to date.
Romney Rattled, But Still in Front
John Avlon
October 19, 2011

Historical Examples of pugilistic

Ash-Can Sam was wounded—not so much in body as in pugilistic pride.
A Night Out
Edward Peple
Dodo; he's too—not pugilistic—the other one with a pug-naceous.
The Skin Game (Fourth Series Plays)
John Galsworthy
And there followed him "big John Brown," of mathematical and pugilistic renown.
An Australian Lassie
Lilian Turner
Bore (Pugilistic), to press a man to the ropes of the ring by superior weight.
The Slang Dictionary
John Camden Hotten
Cock, a pugilistic term for a man who is knocked out of time.
The Slang Dictionary
John Camden Hotten

Word Origin and History for pugilistic

pugilist

1789, from Latin pugil "boxer, fist-fighter," related to pugnus "a fist" (see pugnacious) + -ist. Related: Pugilistic (1789); pugilistically. Pugil occasionally turns up in English as "boxer, fist-fighter" (from 1640s), but it has not caught on. Pugil stick (1962) was introduced by U.S. military as a substitute for rifles in bayonet drills.