Dictionary.com
definitions

well-handled

[wel-han-dld]
|

adjective

managed, directed, or completed with efficiency: a well-handled political campaign.
treated with taste, discretion, etc.: a delicate but well-handled subject.
having been handled or used much: a sale of well-handled goods.

RELATED CONTENT

Word Fact: Well vs. Good
Someone may have told you you were wrong for saying, I’m good, instead of the more formal I’m well. But is the response I’m good actually incorrect? Not technically. Let’s explore the rules and conventions for these two words. Well is often used as an adverb. Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Good is most widely used as an adjective, meaning that it can …
READ MORE
if you can’t handle me at my worst
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

Origin of well-handled

First recorded in 1470–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for well-handled

Contemporary Examples of well-handled

  • Say what you will about the politics of it—unwise, and not well-handled—it was the gutsy thing to do.

    The Daily Beast logo
    The Right Stifles Debate

    Christopher Buckley

    March 19, 2010

Historical Examples of well-handled

  • The Plantagenet force worked together and was one well-handled command.

    Poitiers

    Hilaire Belloc

  • Kyral's caravan, in spite of Cuinn's cursing, was well-managed and well-handled.

    The Door Through Space

    Marion Zimmer Bradley

  • Only a sort of fascination which never failed at the sight of a sled, and a powerful train of well-handled dogs.

    The Heart of Unaga

    Ridgwell Cullum

  • Once more the success of well-handled dilatory tactics was evident; for Mrs. Hotchkiss-Harger suddenly burst into tears.

    Sube Cane

    Edward Bellamy Partridge

  • He quartered the meadow section by section, closely and methodically as a well-handled setter.

    Neighbors Unknown

    Charles G. D. Roberts

British Dictionary definitions for well-handled

well-handled

adjective (well handled when postpositive)

having been managed successfullya well-handled merger
operated or employed skillfullya well-handled vehicle
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