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

• left-handedness
  noun
• left-handedly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of left-handed

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

left-handed

"Chiral materials scatter left-handed polarized X-ray beams differently than they do right-handed beams," explained Jost.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

The spiral's shape determines how it responds to this flow, similar to the difference between screws with right- or left-handed threads.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026

And nobody has been more important during this magical stretch than their 28-year-old, left-handed setup man with a résumé full of disappointment on baseball’s biggest stage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

Conventional wisdom used to dictate that righty pitchers should only throw changeups against left-handed batters and vice versa.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

“So that our murderer is left-handed? No, it is more difficult than that, is it not?”

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie

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