gladiator

noun

glad·​i·​a·​tor ˈgla-dē-ˌā-tər How to pronounce gladiator (audio)
Synonyms of gladiatornext
1
: a person engaged in a fight to the death as public entertainment for ancient Romans
2
: a person engaging in a public fight or controversy
3
: a trained fighter
especially : a professional boxer
gladiatorial
ˌgla-dē-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl How to pronounce gladiator (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of gladiator

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of gladiator in a Sentence

the two punch-drunk gladiators stumbled to their corners
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Speaking of gladiator sandals, style icons like Zendaya and Jennifer Lawrence confirmed that the throwback style is back and better than ever. — Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 7 Aug. 2026 Alberta Ferretti dress with gladiator heels by Sophia Webster. — Ariana Quihuiz, PEOPLE, 2 Aug. 2026 Besides, Damon showing up in full gladiator armor probably isn’t the kind of red carpet Hollywood is looking for. — Alex Badia, Footwear News, 21 July 2026 She was seen Monday in New York wearing a plunging archival Alberta Ferretti minidress and Sophia Webster heeled gladiators. — Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for gladiator

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from gladius sword, of Celtic origin; akin to Welsh cleddyf sword

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gladiator was in the 15th century

Rhymes for gladiator

See All Rhymes for gladiator

Browse Nearby Words

gladiate
gladiator
gladiatorial
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gladiator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gladiator. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

gladiator

noun
glad·​i·​a·​tor ˈglad-ē-ˌāt-ər How to pronounce gladiator (audio)
1
: a person engaged in a fight to the death for public entertainment in ancient Rome
2
: a person engaging in a fierce fight or controversy
gladiatorial
ˌglad-ē-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əl How to pronounce gladiator (audio)
-ˈtȯr-
adjective
Etymology

from Latin gladiator, literally, "swordsman," from gladius "sword" — related to gladiolus

More from Merriam-Webster on gladiator

Nglish: Translation of gladiator for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gladiator

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gnomic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All