1
as in clumsiness
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2
as in oppressiveness
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavy-handedness
Noun
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Police in Oklahoma witnessed the clumsiness of nature when a wildlife rescue turned from pure-hearted Disney moment into Discovery channel outtake, video shows.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
29 Sep. 2025 -
And this is in addition to our ongoing on-pitch tactical clumsiness and lack of motivation for big games.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The harshness of the language and the raw politicking shocked voters.—
Matt Klink,
Oc Register,
6 Sep. 2025
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The bass doesn’t overpower vocals, and the treble avoids harshness.—
Prakhar Khanna,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Chelsea are sorely lacking leadership and self-assurance, hardly surprising given the inexperience throughout a quickly thinning squad.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
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Colin’s journey in going from inexperience to being a bit more experienced.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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To watch Lipe-Smith’s Caroline cuddle in bed watching TV on her iPad, or bopping around to JoJo Siwa, or pensively finishing a Popsicle while sitting beside her grandmother at a museum, is to have the sheer malevolence of our current administration and its adherents thrown into sharp relief.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
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Fonda arrived in Rome with his blue eyes darkened by contact lenses, the better to convey malevolence.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
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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Comment sections have always attracted hatefulness and resentment; these ones just happen to encourage it more explicitly.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Heavy-handedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavy-handedness. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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