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
  • In Atlanta, high temps are expected in the mid-90s on Friday, and the humidity will make the heat feel more oppressive.
    — Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Such tools for combating oppressive heat look prescient now, but Stierli isn’t impressed; Tropical Modernism was sensitive to the region’s climate but not to its culture.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of oppressive
Adjective
  • The death toll from severe flooding along the Nepal-China border on Wednesday has climbed to 762 in Nepal, local police said, as rescue crews scour devastated neighborhoods for survivors.
    — Bhadra Sharma, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The bleeding was severe, her blood pressure plummeted, her breathing and heart function stopped.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of severe
Adjective
  • Space-grade electronics will cost more, and the ball’s shell—made from a material tough enough to roll over steel shards and withstand minus 184 °C temperatures—has never been evaluated in lunar extremes.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Democratic leaders face tough decisions on where to spend limited party resources to win the Senate majority.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 3 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
  • The increasing chances of being taken, whether one is in a church, mosque, school, on a trip to the capital Abuja or resting at home, is a grim reality that should not be the case given Tinubu’s firm campaign pledges.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The chattiness of Eddy’s dispatches does little to conceal that the novel’s Jamaica is a grim place for gay men.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of grim
Adjective
  • Irving was born in New York City on April 3, 1783, the son of a stern Scottish immigrant who ran a tidy import business selling wine, sugar, and hardware.
    — Eric Lach, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Former President Joe Biden turned to then-CIA Director William Burns to relay stern warnings to Russia before and after President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
    — Matthew Mulligan, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of stern
Adjective
  • Shapiro’s Republican opponent, Stacy Garrity, has framed Shapiro’s public messaging as an attempt to introduce heavy-handed public health restrictions, rallying conservative voters against government intervention.
    — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • And the Peaches and Pea, a drink that teeters on the edge of cloying, heavy-handed with peach oleo-saccharum.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 27 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 5 Sep. 2026.

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