ironfisted
Americanadjective
-
ruthless, harsh, and tyrannical.
an ironfisted dictator.
-
stingy; tight-fisted.
Etymology
Origin of ironfisted
First recorded in 1850–55; iron + fist 1 ( def. ) + -ed 3 ( def. )
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.
Cassandra, the de-facto leader of the teens, is tenuously ironfisted.
From The New Yorker ● May 22, 2019
Leonard Nimoy did it with a memorable turn as a goateed, ironfisted Mr. Spock in an original "Star Trek" episode that sent the Enterprise crew into a more bloodthirsty parallel universe.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2013
Broadway, chafing at the syndicate's ironfisted control of 1,250 theaters, whooped the young rebels on.
From Time Magazine Archive
Botha relied on the threat of military power and ironfisted retaliation, but De Klerk stands for law.
From Time Magazine Archive
It's the sort of ironfisted market grip that rarely exists outside economics textbooks: one superefficient firm with monopoly-like returns gliding past competitors and, not incidentally, racking up huge profits.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
