What does "gauntlet" mean?
Protective armor for the hands, formerly thrown down as a challenge to combat.
Gauntlet
/ˈɡɔːnt.lət/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Protective armor for the hands, formerly thrown down as a challenge to combat.
- Grammar: gauntlet is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: aegis, armor, armor glove, armored glove.
- Useful contrasts: bare hand, breeze, easy task.
- Usage evidence: We had to run the gauntlet of entrenched defenders.
How to use "gauntlet"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gauntlet" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gauntlet" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gauntlet" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gauntlet" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gauntlet" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aegis" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "gauntlet", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Protective armor for the hands, formerly thrown down as a challenge to combat.
"The hands were defended by Gauntlets, these were sometimes of chain mail, but oftener of small plates of iron rivetted together, in imitation of the lobster's tail, so as to yield every motion of the hand, some gauntlets inclosed the whole hand, as in a box or case, others were divided into fingers, each finger consisting of eight or ten separate pieces, the inside gloved with buff leather, some of these reached no higher than the wrist, others to the elbow; the latter were stiled long armed gauntlets: many of them are to be seen in the Tower; for a representation of one of them, see plate 26, fig 6."
- 2 Two parallel rows of attackers who strike at a criminal as punishment. archaic
- 3 a form of punishment in which a person is forced to run between two lines of men facing each other and armed with clubs or whips to beat the victim wordnet
- 4 A long glove covering the wrist.
"The hawk no longer darts forth from the gauntlet to soar through the air for his prey."
- 5 A simultaneous attack from two or more sides.
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 a glove with long sleeve wordnet
- 7 A rope on which hammocks or clothes are hung for drying.
- 8 Any challenging, difficult, or painful ordeal, often one performed for atonement or punishment. figuratively
"[John] Winthrop ran the gantlet of daily slights from his neighbors."
- 9 a glove of armored leather; protects the hand wordnet
- 10 An eruption of pellagra on the hands.
- 11 Overlapping parallel rail tracks; either to allowing passage through a narrow opening in each direction without switching, or to allow vehicles of a larger gauge to pass through a station without hitting the platforms.
- 12 to offer or accept a challenge wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"We had to run the gauntlet of entrenched defenders."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gauntlet"?
Common synonyms include: aegis, armor, armor glove, armored glove, battle cry, bid to combat.
How do you use "gauntlet" in a sentence?
We had to run the gauntlet of entrenched defenders.
How do you pronounce "gauntlet"?
Pronounced /ˈɡɔːnt.lət/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English gauntelett, gantlett, a borrowing from Old French gantelet (“gauntlet worn by a knight in armor, a token of one's personality or person, and symbolizing a challenge”), diminutive of gant (“glove”), a borrowing from Frankish *want (“glove; mitten”) and reinforced by Medieval Latin wantus (“glove”) itself borrowed from the former, from Proto-Germanic *wantuz (“glove; mitten”). Cognate with Dutch want (“mitten; shroud”), German Low German Want (“shroud”), Danish vante (“mitten”), Swedish vante (“glove; mitten”), Faroese vøttur (“glove; mitten”).
Etymology 2
Modified, under the influence of etymology 1, from gantlope, from Swedish gatlopp (“passageway”), from Old Swedish gata (“lane”) + lopp (“course”), from löpa (“to run”) ]