Relating to gladiators (ancient Roman fighters) or involving fierce combat, as if between gladiators.
From Latin 'gladiator' (swordsman, from 'gladius' meaning sword) plus -ial. The term entered English to describe anything resembling gladiatorial combat.
Modern political debates are sometimes called 'gladatorial' because they've become theatrical combat events—but real Roman gladiatorial games were deadly serious, with fighters often killed for entertainment!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.