Meaning & use
pugilism
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Meaning
noununcountableformalold-fashioned
The sport or skill of fighting with the fists, especially as practiced in earlier centuries.
Grammar: No plural and no article is needed: pugilism was popular in Victorian England.
Patterns
- the art of pugilism
Pugilism drew huge crowds in nineteenth-century London.
He wrote a history of pugilism from bare-knuckle days to the modern ring.
Her grandfather taught her the noble art of pugilism.
Common combinations
- the sport of pugilism
- The museum has an exhibit on the sport of pugilism.
- history of pugilism
- The book traces the history of pugilism in Ireland.
- bare-knuckle pugilism
- Bare-knuckle pugilism was often illegal.
- professional pugilism
- He gave up professional pugilism after his third injury.
Synonyms and how they differ
- boxing
- Boxing is the everyday word, while pugilism sounds bookish or historical.
- prizefighting
- Prizefighting stresses fighting for money, especially in the past, whereas pugilism names the sport itself.
- fisticuffs
- Fisticuffs is humorous and describes a casual fist fight, not an organized sport.
Word family
- pugilist noun
- a boxer, especially in a formal or old context
- pugilistic adjective
- relating to boxing or fighting with fists
- pugnacious adjective
- eager to quarrel or fight
Commonly confused: pugilism or pugnacity?
pugilism vs pugnacity
Pugilism is the sport of fist fighting; pugnacity is a quarrelsome nature.
Practice
A historian describing Victorian bare-knuckle contests would most naturally refer to the sport as ____.
Choose one answer.
Pugilism means fist fighting. Pugnacity is a trait, not a sport, and the other sports do not involve fists.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pugilism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.