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heavy-handed

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of heavy-handed

1 given to exacting standards of discipline and self-restraint
  • The gym teacher is heavy-handed with the students.
Synonyms of heavy-handed

austere, authoritarian, flinty, hard, harsh, ramrod, rigid, rigorous, severe, stern, strict, tough
Words Related to heavy-handed

demanding, exacting

uncharitable, unforgiving

adamant, callous, hardened, hard-hearted, hard-line, immovable, implacable, inflexible, merciless, pitiless, relentless, rock-ribbed, stiff, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unsparing, unyielding

dour, gruff

ascetic (also ascetical), monastic, monkish

browbeating, bullying
Near Antonyms of heavy-handed

easy, easygoing, laid-back, undemanding

charitable, kind, merciful, mild, patient, soft, softhearted

accepting, compromising, yielding

responsive, willing

acquiescent, agreeable, amenable, complaisant, compliant, flexible, pliable, pliant
Antonyms of heavy-handed

clement, forbearing, gentle, indulgent, lax, lenient, tolerant
2 lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands
  • Kara felt heavy-handed and awkward when she held the newborn infant.
Synonyms of heavy-handed

awkward, butterfingered, clumsy, graceless, ham-fisted, ham-handed, left-handed, maladroit, unhandy
Words Related to heavy-handed

uncoordinated

bunglesome, bungling, gauche, inept, inexpert, unskilled, unskillful
Phrases Synonymous with heavy-handed

all thumbs
Near Antonyms of heavy-handed

expert, masterly, skilled, skillful

coordinated
Antonyms of heavy-handed

deft, dexterous (also dextrous), handy, sure-handed

Learn More about heavy-handed

  1. See words that rhyme with heavy-handed Dictionary: Definition of heavy-handed Nglish: Translation of heavy-handed for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of heavy-handed for Arabic speakers

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