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ironhanded

adjective

Definition of ironhandednext
as in oppressive

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ironhanded
  1. oppressive
  2. severe
  3. tough
  4. rough-and-tumble
  5. ungentle
  6. grim
  7. stern
  8. heavy-handed
Adjective
  • The investigation into Toro follows a complaint from Bigelow that alleges the workplace culture under Toro’s leadership is characterized as oppressive, bullying and fearful, according to the complaint.
    — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
  • In its opening episodes, the series carefully distinguishes Lizzie from her male killer counterparts while highlighting the oppressive conditions women faced in the era.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of oppressive
Adjective
  • This appointment arrives as Nike navigates deep operational restructuring and severe market headwinds.
    — , CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Six decades earlier, on the same grounds, a young Muhammad Ali absorbed a famous left hook from Henry Cooper late in the fourth round, then finished the fight in the fifth when the referee stopped it because of a severe cut over Cooper’s eye.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of severe
Adjective
  • North of the Thai capital Bangkok, rice farmers like 55-year-old Boonmark Marksuuk are already facing tough choices.
    — EDNA TARIGAN, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Zahnd, first elected in 2002, had a career defined by high-profile cases and solidified Platte County’s tough-on-crime reputation.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • The startup’s rough-and-tumble experiments are even more telling.
    — Justine Calma, The Verge, 24 Feb. 2023
Definition of rough-and-tumble
Adjective
  • 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
  • Now life was like that; some days fine and firm and full of whatever, while other days the hoarse bark of the neighbors’ dog or a friend’s grim diagnosis and her body succumbed to an emotional gravity that pulled her into a free fall.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The term is a grim irony because, from the vantage point of history, the body of law most relevant to the robot-category problem is that of slavery, which borrowed from laws relating to horses and other livestock.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of grim
Adjective
  • The new trailer for Paper Tiger transfers this dynamic onto the scene of a rehabilitation project for New York City’s Gowanus Canal, resulting in far graver consequences than a stern talking-to from mom.
    — Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Safety researchers have resigned from major companies and issued stern warnings that the advanced technology could pose a risk to the human race, and politicians from across the political spectrum have called for action.
    — Kevin Collier, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of stern
Adjective
  • The reference is heavy-handed, but the idea is the right one.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • What stays with the audience are heavy-handed moral lessons, more than an entertaining couple of hours in the cinema.
    — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of heavy-handed
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.

Browse Nearby Words

ironfisted
ironhanded
ironhearted
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Cite this Entry

“Ironhanded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ironhanded. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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