left-handed

American  

[left-han-did] / ˈlɛftˈhæn dɪd /

adjective

1. having the left hand more dominant or effective than the right; preferably using the left hand.

   a left-handed pitcher.

2. adapted to or performed by the left hand.

   a left-handed tool; a left-handed tennis serve.

3. situated on the side of the left hand.

4. Machinery.

   1. rotating counterclockwise.

   2. noting a helical or spiral member, as a gear tooth or screw thread, that twists counterclockwise as it recedes from an observer.

5. Building Trades. left-hand.

6. ambiguous or doubtful and often unfavorable or derogatory by implication.

   a left-handed compliment.

7. clumsy or awkward.

8. of, relating to, or issuing from a morganatic marriage: so called from the custom, in morganatic marriage ceremonies, of having the bridegroom give his left hand to the bride.

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adverb

1. with the left hand.

   He writes left-handed.

2. toward the left hand; in a counterclockwise direction.

   The strands of the rope are laid left-handed.

left-handed British  

adjective

1. using the left hand with greater ease than the right

2. performed with the left hand

3. designed or adapted for use by the left hand

4. worn on the left hand

5. awkward or clumsy

6. ironically ambiguous

   a left-handed compliment

7. turning from right to left; anticlockwise

8. law another term for morganatic

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adverb

1. with the left hand

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• left-handedness
  noun
• left-handedly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of left-handed

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at left ¹, handed

Example Sentences

He’s expected to face unbeaten left-handed pitcher Logan Schmidt after the Pomona Unified School District indicated that issues about top Ganesha players participating in an out-of-state camp have been resolved.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026

Rodrigues played with her usual wristy effortlessness, while England struggled to the left-handed Bhatia who was playing her first T20 since 2024.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

He did, however, attempt to teach the actor how to play guitar left-handed.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Vanderbilt, who is left-handed, was injured in the second quarter trying to block a dunk by Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, but his hand hit the backboard.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

I’m left-handed, so most of it is too smudged to see.

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson