light-handed

adjective

light-hand·​ed ˈlīt-ˌhan-dəd How to pronounce light-handed (audio)
: having a light or delicate touch : facile
a light-handed translation
light-handedness noun

Examples of light-handed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What’s worth considering: Spray can be a bit intense, so be light-handed with it Formulation: Spray Shades: 7 Size: 1.5 oz. Neha Tandon, Glamour, 12 May 2025 While the hearing touched upon a variety of topics from AI’s energy use to discrimination in models, the push for a light-handed approach underscored both witness testimony and questions from mostly GOP lawmakers. Julia Shapero, The Hill, 8 May 2025 Their light-handed approach is still legible in the artifacts and settlement patterns of post-Collapse farming communities and preserved in the flexible tribute schedules for Maya farmers documented by 16th century Spanish monks. Chelsea Fisher, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2024 Four decades and dozens of films on, Wenders remains a light-handed auteur open to the moment. Nathan Taylor Pemberton, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2023 The fine seems a little light-handed in this instance, however, since messing with someone’s tree stand can have disastrous (and even fatal) consequences. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 15 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of light-handed was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Light-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/light-handed. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

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