HARD-HANDED Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

hardhanded

adjective

ˈhärd-ˈhan-dəd

Definition of hardhanded

as in tough

difficult to endure the hardhanded rule of a tyrannical regime

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardhanded

Adjective

There were tough conversations between Naylor and Cleveland’s coaches and front office.

— Zack Meisel, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Villegas, after a tough primary election battle against Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, has roughly $572,000.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026

Definition of tough

Adjective

But some have pushed back on the idea that the threat of harsh legal punishment could prevent the gatherings in the first place.

— Safiyah Riddle, Fortune, 25 July 2026
Even if it's erased later, everyone now knows it can be drawn again, along the same criteria or something harsher, and that no one outside Washington controls where that line lands next.

— Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026

Definition of harsh

Adjective

Not play-act, but do the real work, make the hard and noble choices, not forsake his vows but live by them.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Adding another employee, buying a new piece of equipment, or expanding into a larger space all become harder when the tax code penalizes those investments.

— Kent Strang, Boston Herald, 26 July 2026

Definition of hard

Adjective

Bannister Road has been rough to drive on for seemingly years.

— Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
The relationship between the two had been rough for a while, and Traci was excited to build a new life for herself independent of her husband.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026

Definition of rough

Adjective

Either way, a spot in the round of 32 would be a just reward for a team that is unbeaten two games into what has been an extremely trying tournament off the field.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
More than half of the search-and-rescue workers who show up for the most trying missions are BUSARs.

— Paige Williams, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026

Definition of trying

Adjective

San Francisco has already seen right-hander Hayden Birdsong undergo Tommy John surgery earlier this year, and losing McDonald for an extended period of time would be another brutal blow for the pitching staff.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 25 July 2026
This thing—the military—aims, at least in Harlow’s eyes, to turn boys into tools for brutal battlefield aims.

— Jasper Craven, New Yorker, 24 July 2026

Definition of brutal

Adjective

One pledge suffered severe kidney injuries and was hospitalized but was expected to recover, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

— Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026
The second apron is a luxury tax mechanism introduced in the 2023 collective bargaining agreement that imposes severe financial and roster-building restrictions on teams with exceptionally high payrolls.

— Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 27 July 2026

Definition of severe

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Browse Nearby Words

hard goods

hardhanded

hardhandedness

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“Hardhanded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardhanded. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of hardhanded

adjective

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