as in oppressive
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for ironhanded
Adjective
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Others are subjected to frequent rains and oppressive summer humidity.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 May 2026 -
An especially visually striking debut, Mosquitoes exists in a saturated hyperreality that is consummately engrossing, and announces the Bertani sisters as formidable portraitists of girlhood cast against the backdrop of an alternately beautiful and oppressive world.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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That's a severe, potentially deadly disease caused by hantavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
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Newsom and other supporters have said the tunnel would protect the state’s water system as climate change intensifies severe droughts and deluges.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Chase Meidroth made a shuffle toss to second base for a force out, but the Sox couldn’t complete what would have been a tough double play.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2026
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Our legislators must make some tough decisions; avoiding the issues is not acceptable.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 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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And if The Devil Wears Prada 2 is any kind of morale bellwether for big media, even the ten people with job security are feeling grim about the mouth.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
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Continue reading … BEHIND CLOSED DOORS — Babysitter’s grim discovery exposes deadly family secret inside luxury home.—
,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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An Ada County judge let a Boise woman who stole jewelry from hospice patients off without prison time — but not without a stern warning and alternative punishment.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Apr. 2026
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When addressing Chasing Horse, Peterson took on a stern tone and admonished the actor and his attorney, Craig Mueller, for denying the charges and downplaying evidence of assault.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But, even if Church’s propensity to recruit nature for heavy-handed symbolism can seem too much today, something about his work—some combination of thrilling ambition, tact tethered to empiricism, and loving tenderness—continues to magnetize our spectacle-jaded eyes.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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We are put in charge of making our own way, through tapestries and tea sets, past ancient jug and contemporary sphinx, without heavy-handed authoritative direction.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Ironhanded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ironhanded. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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