as in oppressive
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for ironhanded
Adjective
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Beyond its pleasures as a noir, the chronicle of Kolechko’s fight against nascent Soviet power easily reminds one of present-day Ukraine’s struggle to preserve its dignity in the face of oppressive forces.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026 -
But the sweltering, sticky, oppressive facepalm of summer doesn’t make the other seasons more palatable.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Hantavirus is typically spread through contact with infected rodents and can lead to severe respiratory illness, though cases remain rare, according to the WHO.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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Researchers found health disparities persisted across Texas, with some gaps appearing more severe than in other Southwestern states.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Each of those teams will be competing for playoff spots again, leaving the Raiders with no easy divisional wins and a tough out-of-division schedule.—
Sam Warren,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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The group did just enough against Sale and a tough Braves bullpen to avoid getting shut out for the third time in five games.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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The trappings of the Senate were another world from Mr. Abourezk’s rough-and-tumble childhood on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, where his Lebanese parents had immigrated and ran a general store.—
STEPHEN GROVES,
BostonGlobe.com,
25 Feb. 2023
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The startup’s rough-and-tumble experiments are even more telling.—
Justine Calma,
The Verge,
24 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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But going back to trying to be gentle in ungentle times.—
Stephanie Stradley,
Houston Chronicle,
25 Sep. 2020
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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
Adjective
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Both those films centered on women whose grim worlds were closing in on them — a tomboyish auto mechanic in Closeness; a nurse and the frontline friend who turns on her in Beanpole.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
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In a world living in the shadow of the mushroom cloud, the vault was a grim reminder that after nearly two hundred years, the American experiment needed to be defended.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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Yet Gilgeous-Alexander’s own diagnosis of his night, stern and accountable, showed no trace of concern.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
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His father, a billboard magnate, was a stern man who would whip his son with a razor strap for stepping out of line, but the youngster refused to capitulate to his dad’s authority.—
Paul Bond,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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That's a little heavy-handed, no?—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
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This offseason, the league assembled a committee to evaluate potential changes, and the early result has been a heavy-handed whistle from officials.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Ironhanded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ironhanded. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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