heavy-handed

adjective

heavy-hand·​ed ˈhe-vē-ˈhan-dəd How to pronounce heavy-handed (audio)
heavy-handedly adverb
heavy-handedness noun

Examples of heavy-handed in a Sentence

the new manager's heavy-handed approach soon had employees turning in their letters of resignation felt heavy-handed and awkward when holding the newborn infant
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.
Briskly paced, de Jonge’s movie covers a lot of ground both tonal and geographic without ever seeming hurried, conspicuously touristic or heavy-handed in its mix of humor and pathos. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 27 Nov. 2024 Republicans in general—especially President-elect Donald Trump—tend to be much less heavy-handed than Democrats, so the Biden administration is quickly moving several of its Big Tech consumer watchdog and antitrust investigations forward. Megan Poinski, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024 The uprising began with peaceful demonstrations against employment quotas for regime loyalists, but a heavy-handed crackdown ignited a powderkeg of rage against inequality and political repression that brought tens of thousands of mothers and daughters, bankers and beggars, united onto the street. Charlie Campbell, TIME, 21 Nov. 2024 Few sectors fared better during the day than banks, which have complained of heavy-handed regulations under the Biden administration. Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 7 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for heavy-handed 

Word History

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of heavy-handed was in 1647

Dictionary Entries Near heavy-handed

Cite this Entry

“Heavy-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavy-handed. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

heavy-handed

adjective
heavy-hand·​ed
ˌhev-ē-ˈhan-dəd
1
2
: severe or harsh in dealing with others

More from Merriam-Webster on heavy-handed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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