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gladiatorial

[ glad-ee-uh-tawr-ee-uh l, -tohr- ]

/ ˌglæd i əˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR gladiatorial ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to gladiators or to their combats.

Origin of gladiatorial

1745–55; < Latin gladiātōri(us) (see gladiator, -tory¹) + -al¹

Words nearby gladiatorial

gladden, gladdon, glade, gladiate, gladiator, gladiatorial, gladiola, gladiolus, gladius, gladsheim, gladsome

Example sentences from the Web for gladiatorial

Of course football is sanctioned evil, the less sanctioned the more visceral and gladiatorial and exciting.

The NFL’s Hypocritical Outrage Against Bonuses for Injuring Players |Buzz Bissinger |March 5, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Apart from theatrical representations and gladiatorial combats, the Romans had an inordinate passion for chariot races.

Architecture |Thomas Roger Smith
In particular the gladiatorial shows surpassed anything within the memory of the oldest living spectator.

The Unwilling Vestal |Edward Lucas White
But in the period that followed the death of Sulla Rome was to have a gladiatorial exhibition of a different sort.

Historic Tales, Volume 11 (of 15) |Charles Morris

But his gladiatorial person exhaled an odor of clean brave flesh, mingled with strong but effeminate perfumes.

The Blood of the Arena |Vicente Blasco Ibez
If you want a gladiatorial show, with me and these two swashbucklers as chief performers, you ought to have given me fair notice.

The Search Party |G. A. Birmingham

British Dictionary definitions for gladiatorial

gladiatorial

/ (ˌɡlædɪəˈtɔːrɪəl) /

adjective

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