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Synonyms

gladiatorial

American  
[glad-ee-uh-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-] / ˌglæd i əˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr- /

adjective

  1. of or relating to gladiators or to their combats.

gladiatorial British  
/ ˌɡlædɪəˈtɔːrɪəl /

adjective

  1. of, characteristic of, or relating to gladiators, combat, etc

"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

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.

Betfred's Fred Done called the race result a "gladiatorial bloodbath for bookies" with the heavily-backed favourite winning.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

That it is, but it is also about the society that permitted gladiatorial combat—more than permitted it, enjoyed it as entertainment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

If you tuned into the Culture, Media and Sport committee hearing on Monday expecting a gladiatorial showdown, you'd have been left wondering where the swords were.

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025

No doubt football is suffused with gladiatorial bravado.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2024

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.