high-handed
adjective
high-hand·ed
ˈhī-ˈhan-dəd 
: having or showing no regard for the rights, concerns, or feelings of others : arbitrary, overbearing
high-handedly
adverb
high-handedness
noun
Synonyms
- arrogant
- assumptive
- bumptious
- cavalier
- chesty
- haughty
- high-and-mighty
- high-hat
- highfalutin
- hifalutin
- huffish
- huffy
- imperious
- important
- lofty
- lordly
- masterful
- overweening
- peremptory
- pompous
- presuming
- presumptuous
- pretentious
- self-asserting
- self-assertive
- sniffy
- stiff-necked
- supercilious
- superior
- toplofty
- toploftical
- uppish
- uppity
Examples of high-handed in a Sentence
the manager displayed a high-handed demeanor that increasingly demoralized the members of his staff
that country club tends to be rather high-handed about whom they let in and whom they shut out
Recent Examples on the Web
The sociopolitical implications of his story—desperate poverty, harassment by the police, along with exploitation by the boxing business and its high-handed authorities—are balanced by his earnest self-analyses and the detailing of his home life.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
Georgian society, however, has shown increasing signs of fatigue with the former government’s high-handed policies.
—Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2012
Edward took a story that on paper could be very procedural and high-handed and made something that has this propulsive, edge-of-your-seat, wildly cinematic energy.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 7 May 2024
This crude and insulting decision is starkly reminiscent of the high-handed Hollywood of the studio era.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Even if Beijing were to resume regular REE sales, alternative sources would remove Beijing’s temptation to high-handed policies.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
With his penchant for high-handed letter writing, Gittins escalated things to the inevitable level.
—Max Olesker, Longreads, 13 July 2023
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.
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
Georgian society, however, has shown increasing signs of fatigue with the former government’s high-handed policies.
—Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2012
Edward took a story that on paper could be very procedural and high-handed and made something that has this propulsive, edge-of-your-seat, wildly cinematic energy.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 7 May 2024
This crude and insulting decision is starkly reminiscent of the high-handed Hollywood of the studio era.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Even if Beijing were to resume regular REE sales, alternative sources would remove Beijing’s temptation to high-handed policies.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
With his penchant for high-handed letter writing, Gittins escalated things to the inevitable level.
—Max Olesker, Longreads, 13 July 2023
Dictionary Entries Near high-handed
Cite this Entry
“High-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high-handed. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share