left-handed

[ left-han-did ]

/ ˈlɛftˈhæn dɪd /

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See synonyms for left-handed on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having the left hand more dominant or effective than the right; preferably using the left hand: a left-handed pitcher.

adapted to or performed by the left hand: a left-handed tool; a left-handed tennis serve.

situated on the side of the left hand.

Machinery.

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

Building Trades. left-hand (def. 3).

ambiguous or doubtful and often unfavorable or derogatory by implication: a left-handed compliment.

clumsy or awkward.

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.

adverb

with the left hand: He writes left-handed.

toward the left hand; in a counterclockwise direction: The strands of the rope are laid left-handed.

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Origin of left-handed

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at left¹, handed

OTHER WORDS FROM left-handed

left-hand·ed·ly, adverbleft-hand·ed·ness, noun

Words nearby left-handed

left field, left fielder, left-footer, left-hand, left-hand buoy, left-handed, left-handed compliment, left-hander, left holding the bag, leftist, left-laid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use left-handed in a sentence

Not to be left behind, progressives in neighboring Wisconsin clamored to join the cutting edge of public health.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Gay marriage was the hot-button fight on the left and right.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Clad in a blue, striped button-down, a silver watch adorning his left wrist, Huckabee beams on the cover.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, almost exactly 30 years after the trial, the judge left his home to board a steamboat and was never heard from again.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The clichés about football-obsessed husbands and frustrated wives are pretty heavy-handed.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What need to look to right or left when you are swallowing up free mile after mile of dizzying road?
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
She is quite true, but not wise, and your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
The vision—it had been an instantaneous flash after all and nothing more—had left his mind completely for the time.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
She had just left the wharf at Cincinnati for Louisville, with 225 passengers on board, of whom but 124 were saved.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Thus was the man left entirely to the devil, not even his life being reserved, as in the case of Job.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway

British Dictionary definitions for left-handed

left-handed

adjective

using the left hand with greater ease than the right

performed with the left hand

designed or adapted for use by the left hand

worn on the left hand

awkward or clumsy

ironically ambiguousa left-handed compliment

turning from right to left; anticlockwise

law another term for morganatic

adverb

with the left hand

Derived forms of left-handed

left-handedly, adverbleft-handedness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

left-handed

Origin of left-handed

OTHER WORDS FROM left-handed

Words nearby left-handed

Words related to left-handed

How to use left-handed in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for left-handed

Derived forms of left-handed