1
as in harsh
given to exacting standards of discipline and self-restraint
the new manager's heavy-handed approach soon had employees turning in their letters of resignation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clumsy
lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands
felt heavy-handed and awkward when holding the newborn infant
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heavy-handed
Such a heavy-handed approach has, at least according to Israeli official statistics, yielded positive results: compared with 2024, terrorist plots originating in the West Bank are down significantly.
—
Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 28 July 2025
Meta’s response reflects a broader clash: Big Tech and the Trump administration see EU oversight as heavy-handed and antagonistic, with US president Donald Trump brandishing tariff threats to push back against the bloc’s digital regulations.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 28 July 2025
The European Union’s Digital Services Act is a heavy-handed power play designed to silence dissenting voices from the global digital dialogue.
—Lathan Watts, National Review, 27 July 2025
Democrats invoked the spectre of McCarthyism for other Democrats with heavy-handed satire and puppets.
—Matthew Carey Salyer, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for heavy-handed
Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 28 July 2025
Meta’s response reflects a broader clash: Big Tech and the Trump administration see EU oversight as heavy-handed and antagonistic, with US president Donald Trump brandishing tariff threats to push back against the bloc’s digital regulations.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 28 July 2025
The European Union’s Digital Services Act is a heavy-handed power play designed to silence dissenting voices from the global digital dialogue.
—Lathan Watts, National Review, 27 July 2025
Democrats invoked the spectre of McCarthyism for other Democrats with heavy-handed satire and puppets.
—Matthew Carey Salyer, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for heavy-handed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavy-handed
Adjective
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But the harsh fact is that letting a tree stump fester in the ground can cause myriad problems, according to the arborist sources AD asked.—
Steven John,
Architectural Digest,
27 Aug. 2025
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Iran has threatened harsh consequences if the snapback sanctions are triggered.—
Jennifer Hansler,
CNN Money,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This is a huge bonus for a clumsy gal like myself, who often trips over air.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
People.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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The scale of the problem became terrifyingly clear during the Covid-19 pandemic, as the Japanese government struggled to respond to a nationwide crisis with clumsy digital tools.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
9 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Climate activists will lean heavily on the ICJ opinion to justify stricter enforcement of the Paris Agreement.—
Jon McGowan,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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Indianapolis City-County Council Democrats on Aug. 27 rejected a Republican push to set specific fines for parents and guardians whose children violate the city's new, stricter youth curfew ordinance.—
Jordan Smith,
IndyStar,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But, sadly, this can be hard to repair once too far gone; naming the dynamic out loud can be daunting and awkward.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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India wants all three guests to remain seated, however awkward the conversation may be.—
Spriha Srivastava,
CNBC,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The film is filled to the brim with real people and incidents, providing an entertaining primer to explain how a former Communist country was transformed into a cutthroat capitalist regime ruled by an authoritarian modeling himself on Stalin.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Aug. 2025
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Trump and Lake silenced an organization that began during World War II, intended as a U.S. counterbalance to authoritarian propaganda.—
Ronald J. Hansen,
AZCentral.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Sanctions have roiled Russia's economy and Trump could use tougher measures as leverage over Putin, said Richard Portes, professor of economics at London Business School.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
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The logistics of pushing autonomous vessels out into the deep Pacific is tough.—
Craig Hooper,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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There are any number of predictable ways this scenario might have developed but the film is rigorous in its rejection of clichés or simple fixes.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Aug. 2025
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Students must fall below an income cap and meet Vanderbilt's rigorous admissions standards to get in.—
The Tennessean,
The Tennessean,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Over the past three seasons, viewers have grown fond of Laurel, Belly’s stern but loving mom, whose friendship with the Fisher boys’ mom, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard), is the reason Belly’s in this whole brother-love-triangle mess to begin with.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
20 Aug. 2025
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Yet the power in these two performances isn’t supplemented by much texture in the stern, declamatory writing: There’s little sense of how this relationship functions, or once functioned, outside these particularly fraught scenes.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
9 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heavy-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavy-handed. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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