light-handed
Americanadjective
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having the hands lightly or only slightly encumbered, as with parcels or bundles.
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having a light touch; handling things delicately and deftly.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of light-handed
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
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.
Their light-handed approach is still legible in the artifacts and settlement patterns of post-Collapse farming communities and preserved in the flexible tribute schedules for Maya farmers documented by 16th century Spanish monks.
From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2024
Saudi Arabia's energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on Monday defended OPEC+ cuts to oil market supply, saying international energy markets need light-handed regulation to limit volatility.
From Reuters ● Sep. 18, 2023
I would encourage you to experiment with the spices here — I’ve kept mine pretty light-handed, though a little bit of zip from the cayenne does come through.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 21, 2022
Making odd bedfellows of art from the last three centuries, Dodge’s light-handed canvases play fast and loose with expectations to invite us to see things differently.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2019
Sir George sounded his horn again, and in answer the wanderers returned from all quarters of the wood, all of them light-hearted and most of them light-handed too.
From Heiress of Haddon by Doubleday, William E.
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.
