HEAVY-HANDED

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does heavy-handed mean? 

• HEAVY-HANDED (adjective)
  The adjective HEAVY-HANDED has 2 senses:

1. lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands

2. unjustly domineering

  Familiarity information: HEAVY-HANDED used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HEAVY-HANDED (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands

Synonyms:

bumbling; bungling; butterfingered; ham-fisted; ham-handed; handless; heavy-handed; left-handed

Context example:

could scarcely empty a scuttle of ashes, so handless was the poor creature

Similar:

maladroit (not adroit)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Unjustly domineering

Synonyms:

heavy-handed; roughshod

Context example:

a manager who rode roughshod over all opposition

Similar:

domineering (tending to domineer)

 Context examples 

Unfortunately our good chancellor is a little heavy-handed in these matters, and he transmitted a remark which showed that he was aware of what had been said.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)