heavy-handed

[ hev-ee-han-did ]
See synonyms for heavy-handed on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. oppressive; harsh: a heavy-handed master.

  2. clumsy; graceless: a heavy-handed treatment of the theme.

Origin of heavy-handed

1
First recorded in 1625–35

Other words from heavy-handed

  • heav·y-hand·ed·ly, adverb
  • heav·y-hand·ed·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use heavy-handed in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for heavy-handed

heavy-handed

adjective
  1. clumsy

  2. harsh and oppressive

Derived forms of heavy-handed

  • heavy-handedly, adverb
  • heavy-handedness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012