heavy-handed
adjective
heavy-hand·ed
ˈhe-vē-ˈhan-dəd 
1
: clumsy
2
: oppressive, harsh
heavy-handedly
adverb
heavy-handedness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of heavy-handed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The arrests have raised claims of heavy-handed police tactics to suppress largely peaceful demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war.
—
Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024
The message’s delivery method drew some community disapproval when staff members were joined by KCK police officers, an approach critics viewed as heavy-handed.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 4 May 2024
Many schools that tolerated protests and other disruptions for months are now doling out more heavy-handed discipline.
—Jocelyn Gecker and Steve Leblanc, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2024
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
The pacing slackens somewhat around the two-thirds point, then rallies for separate climaxes sentimental (when Greg finally visits his father’s deathbed) and rousing (as the Grand Canyon is reached), both handled with moving restraint rather than heavy-handed melodrama or inspirational uplift.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
Where other artists’ images were heavy-handed, overworked, often tediously moralistic, Whistler’s pictures look provisional, disinterested (in the impartial, non-sentimental sense) and (to our eyes) remarkably modern.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Certainly, the Sino-Russian relationship is not without its strains, and existing tensions may be exacerbated as China grows more confident and is tempted to start bossing around the Russians in a more heavy-handed way—something that no ruler in Moscow would take lightly.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
The black-and-white cinematography and the heavy-handed allusions to Caravaggio—another killer on the run in Italy, albeit several centuries prior—only intensify the pretension.
—The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024
Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024
The message’s delivery method drew some community disapproval when staff members were joined by KCK police officers, an approach critics viewed as heavy-handed.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 4 May 2024
Many schools that tolerated protests and other disruptions for months are now doling out more heavy-handed discipline.
—Jocelyn Gecker and Steve Leblanc, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2024
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
The pacing slackens somewhat around the two-thirds point, then rallies for separate climaxes sentimental (when Greg finally visits his father’s deathbed) and rousing (as the Grand Canyon is reached), both handled with moving restraint rather than heavy-handed melodrama or inspirational uplift.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
Where other artists’ images were heavy-handed, overworked, often tediously moralistic, Whistler’s pictures look provisional, disinterested (in the impartial, non-sentimental sense) and (to our eyes) remarkably modern.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Certainly, the Sino-Russian relationship is not without its strains, and existing tensions may be exacerbated as China grows more confident and is tempted to start bossing around the Russians in a more heavy-handed way—something that no ruler in Moscow would take lightly.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
The black-and-white cinematography and the heavy-handed allusions to Caravaggio—another killer on the run in Italy, albeit several centuries prior—only intensify the pretension.
—The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near heavy-handed
Cite this Entry
“Heavy-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavy-handed. Accessed 8 May. 2024.
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