no-holds-barred

no-holds-barred
adjective
Synonyms of no-holds-barred
: free of restrictions or hampering conventions
a no-holds-barred contest

Examples of no-holds-barred in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
David Fincher's 1999 big screen adaptation of author Chuck Palahniuk's 1996 novel opened in U.S. theaters 25 years ago today, wowing audiences with its distinctive style and no-holds-barred — if frequently misunderstood — examination of modern masculinity.
—John Russell, People.com, 15 Oct. 2024
But the seething energy shared between the various women in the film reaches operatic fever pitch, Close going no-holds-barred with Day and a combative Mo’Nique as a semi-sympathetic social worker.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 4 Sep. 2024
The no-holds-barred, no gloves, everything-goes fighting had been happening in Brazil for many years.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2024

Word History
First Known Use
1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of no-holds-barred was in 1961
See more words from the same year
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