How to Use heavy-handed in a Sentence
heavy-handed
adjective-
This show had to find a tonal balance and say something, but do so in a way that doesn’t feel heavy-handed.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 June 2023
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One: Grab a bucket and fill it with water and 1/4 cup or a few squirts of dish soap (don’t be heavy-handed).
—Angela Belt, House Beautiful, 8 Mar. 2023
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This is a heavy-handed use of a law originally written for the Mafia.
—The Editors, National Review, 16 Aug. 2023
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In yet another heavy-handed move, the hunters even turn up with torches toward the end.
—Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024
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The few heavy-handed moments are mostly due to the narration.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 14 June 2024
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For the Eagles to get such a heavy-handed win, and for both teams to clam up as to what happened, only added more intrigue to the story.
—Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 6 May 2023
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Rights groups have accused police in France of responding to the wave of protests with heavy-handed tactics.
—Morgan Coates, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
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Those charges have prompted criticism from some that the state is being heavy-handed.
—Jeff Martin and Jeff Amy, ajc, 7 Mar. 2023
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The protests resulted in scores of civilian deaths amid a heavy-handed response from Kenyan police.
—Larry Madowo, CNN, 12 July 2024
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Some protests in recent weeks have turned violent and have been met by a heavy-handed police response.
—Aurelien Breeden, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Apr. 2023
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Within hours, one of the first accounts that posted it was suspended — a response so rare and heavy-handed that some users took it as a sign the leaks must be real.
—Will Oremus, Washington Post, 26 July 2024
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This might get tiresome — a heavy-handed dose of reflexive self-loathing — except the curators don’t follow through on the idea.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024
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The heavy-handed attempt to force Biden to quit the race after his disastrous debate has, predictably, backfired.
—Dana Milbank, Washington Post, 12 July 2024
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Sometimes, weighty implication can feel more heavy-handed than just stating the thing straight out.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2023
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But Purdue University board of trustees chair Michael Berghoff said the bill wouldn't change much, expressing doubt that the board would take a heavy-handed approach.
—Ethan Sandweiss, NPR, 22 Mar. 2024
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The move, which drew condemnation across the region, sent a message in line with Mr. Noboa’s heavy-handed approach to violence and graft.
—Genevieve Glatsky, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
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Having his fingerprints all over the offense raised the specter Napier’s hold was too heavy-handed when the Gators struggled to a 6-7 finish capped by a three-game losing streak.
—Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2023
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Dayana talks about being treated like an animal by Elias, and with the donkeys and goat and chickens always around in the motel yard, that metaphor feels heavy-handed.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 May 2024
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He’s also well liked for being a straight shooter in making deals and for his ability to guide talent in a manner that’s not heavy-handed.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 22 Feb. 2023
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The heavy-handed cinnamon and syrup added some oomph, leaving us wanting a little ice cream on the side, but this bread pudding was great nonetheless.
—Emma Balter, Chron, 7 Mar. 2023
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For now, the hacker team is just happy to be able to give their talk without the heavy-handed censorship that the MBTA attempted with its lawsuit 15 years ago.
—WIRED, 10 Aug. 2023
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There were shoot-outs and arrests, followed quickly by reports of heavy-handed treatment of suspects and, in some cases, of torture.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
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But what the show doesn’t do is spend time with heavy-handed explanations about the cultural nuances of identity.
—Brahmjot Kaur, NBC News, 12 May 2023
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The group’s lack of transparency and accusations of heavy-handed tactics rubbed many politicians and residents the wrong way.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2024
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Colonel el-Qaddafi’s government responded with even more heavy-handed repression against the city and its people, Mr. Wehrey said.
—Raja Abdulrahim, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2023
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But the spinoff’s approach lands as both too heavy-handed to ignore and too superficial to take seriously.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 May 2023
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During their time there, increasingly heavy-handed tactics were used to dislodge activists from the protest camp.
—David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
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Asked whether heavy-handed measures were necessary for migrants sleeping in the streets of El Paso, Ortiz stood by his approach.
—Mireya Villarreal, ABC News, 11 May 2023
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An overwhelming win for Bukele would likely give the young leader more leeway to reform El Salvador in his heavy-handed vision.
—David Shortell, CNN, 5 Feb. 2024
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Perhaps our ability to tune out such heavy-handed imagery is a measure of how often we are bombarded with it.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2024
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heavy-handed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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