ironfisted

adjective

Definition of ironfistednext
as in jackbooted

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ironfisted
  1. jackbooted
  2. oppressive
  3. heavy-handed
  4. stern
  5. sledgehammer
  6. ungentle
  7. severe
  8. grim
Adjective
  • Cooper was obsessed with the New World Order and the actions of jackbooted government enforcers against the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, and white separatist Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, Idaho.
    Andrew Stuttaford, WSJ, 19 Sep. 2018
  • Hungary under his rule is far from a jackbooted dictatorship, but its democracy is diverging markedly from that of many of its partners in the European Union.
    Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2018
Definition of jackbooted
Adjective
  • But the backdrops are rendered with an oppressive prettiness that has a perverse cheapening effect.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
  • The total absence of shadow is an oppressive sensation, which engenders a feeling similar to that of claustrophobia.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Jan. 2025
Definition of oppressive
Adjective
  • Bukele is immensely popular, largely because his heavy-handed security efforts have eviscerated the country’s street gangs.
    Gisela Salomon, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Popular on Variety Frank is a by-the-book type whose rigidity is in part a battle against PTSD from the WW2 military service shown in heavy-handed flashbacks.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025
Definition of heavy-handed
Adjective
  • President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan has issued a stern warning to migrants illegally entering the U.S. in the final days of the Biden administration.
    Jackson Walker, Baltimore Sun, 6 Jan. 2025
  • That’s the pinnacle stewardship stern directors, CFOs and CTOs embrace.
    Noah Barsky, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Definition of stern
Adjective
  • If coffee is a sledgehammer blow to the brain — admittedly sometimes useful — yaupon was more like a gentle neural stroking.
    Gabriel Popkin, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2022
  • And Sundwall said that, in retrospect, state health officials took a sledgehammer approach to mitigating the pandemic, such as school closings in 2020, when the state could have taken a more surgical tack.
    Bethany Rodgers, The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 Sep. 2021
Definition of sledgehammer
Adjective
  • But going back to trying to be gentle in ungentle times.
    Stephanie Stradley, Houston Chronicle, 25 Sep. 2020
  • Notes From an Apocalypse is a gentle argument for coming to terms with the precarity of life, published in a moment where people are facing its fragility in an immediate and ungentle context.
    Kate Knibbs, Wired, 16 Apr. 2020
Definition of ungentle
Adjective
  • The last two winters in Southern California were some of the wettest on record, following historically severe drought for the better part of the last decade.
    Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
  • This ensures that critical issues are addressed promptly while less severe vulnerabilities are managed appropriately.
    Eoin Keary, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Definition of severe
Adjective
  • And there was more grim news, this time from Shana’s client: Her home had burned down.
    Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
  • The Canucks are one winning streak with a healthy lineup away from healing all wounds, but for now, things feel grim.
    Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Definition of grim
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near ironfisted

ironed out

ironfisted

ironhanded

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Ironfisted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ironfisted. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

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