Synonyms of heavy-handed

heavy-handed

adjective

1

as in harsh

given to exacting standards of discipline and self-restraint

the new manager's heavy-handed approach soon had employees turning in their letters of resignation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• harsh
• strict
• authoritarian
• tough
• rigorous
• stern
• rigid
• relentless
• severe
• hard
• merciless
• gruff
• hardened
• austere
• flinty
• demanding
• ramrod
• steadfast
• adamant
• callous
• bullying
• unrelenting
• exacting
• hard-line
• uncompromising
• pitiless
• stiff
• unforgiving
• uncharitable
• implacable
• inflexible
• unyielding
• dour
• unsparing
• unbending
• ascetic
• determined
• ascetical
• unflinching
• hard-hearted
• monastic
• immovable
• ossified
• monkish
• adamantine
• obstinate
• resolved
• intractable
• dogged
• browbeating
• single-minded
• rock-ribbed
• firm

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gentle
• lax
• easy
• indulgent
• lenient
• tolerant
• mild
• kind
• easygoing
• forbearing
• soft
• charitable
• merciful
• patient
• undemanding
• accepting
• responsive
• clement
• laid-back
• willing
• yielding
• flexible
• amenable
• softhearted
• agreeable
• compliant
• compromising
• complaisant
• acquiescent
• pliable
• pliant

2

as in clumsy

lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands

felt heavy-handed and awkward when holding the newborn infant

Synonyms & Similar Words

• clumsy
• awkward
• ham-fisted
• ham-handed
• unhandy
• all thumbs
• cack-handed
• maladroit
• butterfingered
• graceless
• handless
• left-handed
• uncoordinated
• gauche
• inept
• unskilled
• bungling
• unskillful
• bunglesome
• inexpert

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• deft
• dextrous
• handy
• skilled
• dexterous
• skillful
• expert
• masterly
• sure-handed
• coordinated