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 team, one of Southern California’s most revered (and lucrative) institutions, caved last week amid a growing public outcry and committed $1 million to help families affected by the Trump administration’s heavy-handed immigration policies.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
Kevin Carter/Getty Images After years of inflation, high costs, and heavy-handed regulation, Main Street is ready for a comeback.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Some of the richest Gulf Arab countries, such as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, will worry that the destabilizing effects of a heavy-handed regime change could stir their own sizable and restive Shia Muslim populations.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 24 June 2025
But today, this means that organizations have better insight into instances where a human touchpoint may need to be more heavy-handed.
—Michael Meucci, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for heavy-handed
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Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
Kevin Carter/Getty Images After years of inflation, high costs, and heavy-handed regulation, Main Street is ready for a comeback.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Some of the richest Gulf Arab countries, such as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, will worry that the destabilizing effects of a heavy-handed regime change could stir their own sizable and restive Shia Muslim populations.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 24 June 2025
But today, this means that organizations have better insight into instances where a human touchpoint may need to be more heavy-handed.
—Michael Meucci, Forbes.com, 23 June 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 30 Jun. 2025.
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