1
as in clumsiness
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2
as in oppressiveness
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heavy-handedness
Granted, there was a lot to criticize in my writing, which was suffering from all sorts of problems, from structural incoherence to insufficient character development to—yes—didactic heavy-handedness that broke the reader’s immersion.
—
Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Ziegler’s humor and sympathy for her characters—including Creon, who desperately wants to do right by everyone—saves the conflict between individual and state from heavy-handedness.
—Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
The Hims & Hers ad is shrewd in its heavy-handedness.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
Beijing was selected over Almaty, Kazakhstan, as the 2022 host city after four other candidates, including Oslo and Stockholm, withdrew citing costs, high public opposition and IOC heavy-handedness.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Ziegler’s humor and sympathy for her characters—including Creon, who desperately wants to do right by everyone—saves the conflict between individual and state from heavy-handedness.
—Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
The Hims & Hers ad is shrewd in its heavy-handedness.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
Beijing was selected over Almaty, Kazakhstan, as the 2022 host city after four other candidates, including Oslo and Stockholm, withdrew citing costs, high public opposition and IOC heavy-handedness.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavy-handedness
Noun
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In January 2024, Lola was diagnosed with leukemia after her parents initially mistook bruises appearing across her body for childhood clumsiness.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
25 May 2026
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The tree, which graces a botanical garden, bears patient witness to all manner of human clumsiness.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Noun
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There is no lag to anticipate and no visual harshness pulling attention away from the music.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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The texture is firm and mouth-filling, with the higher alcohol providing structure without harshness.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Noun
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This journalistic cynicism amid government ham-handedness shattered something precious too.—
Gil Troy,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Only when Bouzid deals with the repercussions of homophobic Tunisian laws does the melodrama tip into ham-handedness.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The rise of Santa Muerte The other folk saint tied to narco culture is Santa Muerte, whose Grim Reaper appearance and relative obscurity prompt assumptions of malevolence.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
7 June 2026
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Trying to find charm and not having malevolence as the intention, not trying to be evil, let the brilliant writing do that.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Dennis Kamrany, a lifelong Pacific Palisades resident who sells real estate and is waiting for his home's gas lines to be reconnected more than a year after they were damaged in the fire, said Pratt's political inexperience didn't matter.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
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Getz can’t count on the magic wand of Mike Vasil to make up for the Sox’s inexperience.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Noun
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Sometimes the irony turns bitter and, with a typically Eastern European sensibility, highlights the paradoxes of institutions, as well as the madness and meanness born from the pursuit and preservation of power.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
8 June 2026
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After 1965, when African Americans’ right to vote was constitutionally recognized, the meanness continued.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
Noun
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There’s some rudeness, aggressive conversations, and crudeness, but nothing too over the top.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Trump’s narcissistic obsession with the place, together with the miasmic hatefulness of his words and actions, has caused artists to flee en masse.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
19 Mar. 2026
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Comment sections have always attracted hatefulness and resentment; these ones just happen to encourage it more explicitly.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heavy-handedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavy-handedness. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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