What is the meaning of heavy-handed?

adjective

  • Lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands."a bumbling mechanic"; "a bungling performance"; "ham-handed governmental interference"; "could scarcely empty a scuttle of ashes, so handless was the poor creature- Mary H. Vorse
  • Unjustly domineering.
    • usage: "incensed at the government's heavy-handed economic policies"; "a manager who rode roughshod over all opposition"
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APAWordNet. (2010). heavy-handed. Retrieved September 23, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/heavy-handed/definitions/1175451
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "heavy-handed" http://smartdefine.org/heavy-handed/definitions/1175451 (accessed September 23, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, heavy-handed, Smart Define, viewed 23 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/heavy-handed/definitions/1175451>.
MLAWordNet. "heavy-handed" 23 October 2010. Web. 23 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/heavy-handed/definitions/1175451>