heavy-handed
adjective
heavy-hand·ed
ˈhe-vē-ˈhan-dəd 
1
: clumsy
2
: oppressive, harsh
heavy-handedly
adverb
heavy-handedness
noun
Examples of heavy-handed in a Sentence
the new manager's heavy-handed approach soon had employees turning in their letters of resignation
felt heavy-handed and awkward when holding the newborn infant
Recent Examples on the Web
The president’s breakthrough announcement is a strong step forward for patients, and a welcome contrast to the Biden administration’s heavy-handed approach that threatened the innovation that generates new cures.
—
Bobby Jindal, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The sequence is pure spectacle, but amidst the heavy-handed metaphor, there's a timely commentary about the risks of relying on this type of technology at all.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 7 Oct. 2025
If the script is a tad heavy-handed in making Clara seem almost indifferent to her mother’s suffering, Touzani is too generous a director not to allow the character some redeeming displays of conscience before the domestic drama plays out.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Considering how heavy-handed stories of this kind often are, the restraint that Wyatt and co-writers Erica Beeney, Gary Ross and David Self show here is commendable.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heavy-handed
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Bobby Jindal, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The sequence is pure spectacle, but amidst the heavy-handed metaphor, there's a timely commentary about the risks of relying on this type of technology at all.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 7 Oct. 2025
If the script is a tad heavy-handed in making Clara seem almost indifferent to her mother’s suffering, Touzani is too generous a director not to allow the character some redeeming displays of conscience before the domestic drama plays out.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Considering how heavy-handed stories of this kind often are, the restraint that Wyatt and co-writers Erica Beeney, Gary Ross and David Self show here is commendable.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heavy-handed
Cite this Entry
“Heavy-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavy-handed. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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