brawler

American  

[braw-ler] / ˈbrɔ lər /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of brawler

brawl ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Opposition leader and Conservative Party head Pierre Poilievre, normally a relentless partisan brawler, has called it "well-crafted and eloquently delivered."

From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2025

That stifled voice might find comfort in watching Ritchson’s brawler get his bell rung and refuse to back down from the inevitable conflict that might break him.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2025

His ads cultivated an image of a legal brawler whose menacing presence on the screen could be used in a plaintiff’s favor.

From New York Times • Mar. 16, 2024

The brawler was expelled from the cathedral,—but he had his revenge.

From Cathedrals of Spain by John A.

Related Words

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