1
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
the manager displayed a high-handed demeanor that increasingly demoralized the members of his staff
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arbitrary
having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity
that country club tends to be rather high-handed about whom they let in and whom they shut out
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of high-handed
There is speculation the high-handed behavior of Daines, Trump and other Republicans might be enough to give Bodnar’s steep-odds candidacy a decent shot in November.
Munis, for one, is doubtful.
—
Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Her work is very philosophical without feeling high-handed.
—Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
In the hands of global celebrities, that high-handed look-at-me approach can yield marquee clunkers, projects that soak up attention and resources while missing enormous opportunities.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 28 Jan. 2026
Dias da Costa said his party would not tolerate arrest and suppression of his supporters, accusing Embaló of high-handed tactics, after voting.
—Assana Sambu, Arkansas Online, 24 Nov. 2025
But his high-handed, arbitrary seizure of power may have permanently scarred the system of careful checks and balances meant to keep government at all levels accountable to the people.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Aug. 2025
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
Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Her work is very philosophical without feeling high-handed.
—Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
In the hands of global celebrities, that high-handed look-at-me approach can yield marquee clunkers, projects that soak up attention and resources while missing enormous opportunities.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 28 Jan. 2026
Dias da Costa said his party would not tolerate arrest and suppression of his supporters, accusing Embaló of high-handed tactics, after voting.
—Assana Sambu, Arkansas Online, 24 Nov. 2025
But his high-handed, arbitrary seizure of power may have permanently scarred the system of careful checks and balances meant to keep government at all levels accountable to the people.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Aug. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-handed
Adjective
-
The rabbi is ornery, arrogant, sometimes cruel.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
What’s to blame for all these arbitrary governing principles?—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
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Black folks have seen the face of the US’s prerogative state—the side of the government that dispenses arbitrary jurisprudence, discriminatory law enforcement, and violence against those who challenge its authority and dominant ideologies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“High-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-handed. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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