heavy-handed

[hev-ee-han-did]

adjective

1. oppressive; harsh.

   a heavy-handed master.

2. clumsy; graceless.

   a heavy-handed treatment of the theme.

heavy-handed

adjective

1. clumsy

2. harsh and oppressive

Other Word Forms

• heavy-handedness noun
• heavy-handedly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of heavy-handed¹

First recorded in 1625–35

Example Sentences

The heavy-handed reaction of security forces to the protests—jail-cell beatings, drive-by abductions and outright killings—has intensified the protesters’ fury.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

You don’t need to be heavy-handed, but 15 well-seasoned ingredients will sing together more beautifully than one giant pot that only gets salted at the end.

Read more on Salon

But it has faced a backlash from US tech giants, with Musk saying last month that its real purpose was "suppression of the people" and that Ofcom had taken a "heavy-handed approach" to enforcement.

Read more on BBC

As if to prove it, she recently made her film debut in Ish – the story of two best friends whose friendship is tested by an ugly and heavy-handed police stop and search.

Read more on BBC

While our 1st Amendment tradition has mostly protected satire over the years, it hasn’t prevented heavy-handed politicians from occasionally trying to silence their comedic critics.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• coercive 
• cruel 
• harsh 
• oppressive