ham-handed
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ham-handed
First recorded in 1915–20
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Ali’s attempt to contort it to reflect the controversy over immigration policy is ham-handed and confused.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
That’s the bigger story that is being lost in the government’s egregious, ham-handed attempt to turn Ábrego García into an object lesson.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2025
Obama, a Harvard alum, described the freeze as "unlawful and ham-handed".
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2025
Would the greatest legal advocate of his time be so stupid as to sanction such a ham-handed bribery scheme?
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2024
As early as January 1990, sentiment on the Well had already begun to sour, and people had begun to grumble that "hackers" were getting a raw deal from the ham-handed powers-that-be.
From The Hacker Crackdown, law and disorder on the electronic frontier by Bruce Sterling
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
