1
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
the manager displayed a high-handed demeanor that increasingly demoralized the members of his staff
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arbitrary
having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity
that country club tends to be rather high-handed about whom they let in and whom they shut out
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of high-handed
The sociopolitical implications of his story—desperate poverty, harassment by the police, along with exploitation by the boxing business and its high-handed authorities—are balanced by his earnest self-analyses and the detailing of his home life.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
The sociopolitical implications of his story—desperate poverty, harassment by the police, along with exploitation by the boxing business and its high-handed authorities—are balanced by his earnest self-analyses and the detailing of his home life.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
Georgian society, however, has shown increasing signs of fatigue with the former government’s high-handed policies.
—Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2012
Edward took a story that on paper could be very procedural and high-handed and made something that has this propulsive, edge-of-your-seat, wildly cinematic energy.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 7 May 2024
This crude and insulting decision is starkly reminiscent of the high-handed Hollywood of the studio era.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Even if Beijing were to resume regular REE sales, alternative sources would remove Beijing’s temptation to high-handed policies.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
With his penchant for high-handed letter writing, Gittins escalated things to the inevitable level.
—Max Olesker, Longreads, 13 July 2023
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
The sociopolitical implications of his story—desperate poverty, harassment by the police, along with exploitation by the boxing business and its high-handed authorities—are balanced by his earnest self-analyses and the detailing of his home life.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
Georgian society, however, has shown increasing signs of fatigue with the former government’s high-handed policies.
—Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2012
Edward took a story that on paper could be very procedural and high-handed and made something that has this propulsive, edge-of-your-seat, wildly cinematic energy.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 7 May 2024
This crude and insulting decision is starkly reminiscent of the high-handed Hollywood of the studio era.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Even if Beijing were to resume regular REE sales, alternative sources would remove Beijing’s temptation to high-handed policies.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
With his penchant for high-handed letter writing, Gittins escalated things to the inevitable level.
—Max Olesker, Longreads, 13 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-handed
Adjective
-
For example, when a man in his sixties talks about the same thing, he’s seen as calm and logical, but when a woman in her twenties talks about it, she’s seen as arrogant or trying to act mature.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
15 May 2025
-
By losing some of its arrogant charm, Doom has also lost the means to back it up.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
But Laxe’s cadence of death is nasty and arbitrary and delightful.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2025
-
These bills would formalize what the Parole Board should already be doing and therefore limit arbitrary rejections.—
Julia Salazar,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“High-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-handed. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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