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
  • However, a time has come where the weight of those dreams and ambitions has become surprisingly oppressive.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Aug. 2026
  • About the jail conditions The Sunday afternoon heat surrounding volunteers contrasts with what detainees describe as an oppressive cold inside.
    — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of oppressive
Adjective
  • The original house sustained severe damage, DFR said, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
    — S.E. Jenkins, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Wage growth hasn’t kept pace with inflation and the city faces its most severe housing shortage in a generation.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of severe
Adjective
  • With men on first and third and nobody out that inning, second baseman Jackson Holliday fielded a tough grounder and threw to second, but shortstop Gunnar Henderson dropped the ball for an error and everyone was safe.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • As for footwear sales in the region, the second quarter saw a slowdown of sales of high-heat product, alongside tougher comparatives and ongoing softness in end-of-cycle footwear product lines.
    — Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 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
  • Crossing $40 trillion in debt should mark more than another grim headline.
    — Carolyn Bourdeaux, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Others remained in the courtroom to face the grim facts of what happened to his body.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of grim
Adjective
  • Raudel’s mother, Vivian Texidor, couldn’t bring herself to show the photo of her son with his stern expression.
    — Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
  • All of Disney’s cruise ships feature unique Disney characters on their stern, bow and atrium, who embody the spirit of the ship.
    — Eve Chen, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of stern
Adjective
  • But White House officials remain highly skeptical of heavy-handed interventions in the AI industry, especially ones that might be perceived as allowing for ground to be lost to China.
    — Billy Perrigo, Time, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Its attempts to do so, most notably by interweaving elements of 1939’s The Wizard of Oz — including a CGI lion voiced by Colman Domingo — are heavy-handed acts of fan service that feel arbitrary.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 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 27 Aug. 2026.

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