heavy-handed meaning

UK US

heavy-handed (adjective): lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands.

heavy-handed has 2 meanings in this dictionary.

heavy-handed as an adjective

  1. 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

    Synonyms: bumbling, bungling, butterfingered, ham-fisted, ham-handed, handless, left-handed

    Similar: maladroit

  2. unjustly domineering
    • incensed at the government's heavy-handed economic policies
    • a manager who rode roughshod over all opposition

    Synonyms: roughshod

    Similar: domineering

heavy-handed in a sentence

More about heavy-handed on Wikipedia.