heavy-handed as an adjective: - 1
- 2
heavy-handed
adjective
1 heavy-handed
Lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands.
synonyms: bumbling, bungling, butterfingered, ham-fisted, ham-handed, handless, left-handed.
Roget 699:
unskillful
etc.
698;
inexpert;
bungling
etc.
v.;
awkward,
clumsy,
unhandy,
lubberly,
gauche,
maladroit;
left-handed,
heavy-handed;
slovenly,
slatternly;
gawky.
adrift,
at fault.
inapt,
unapt;
inhabile [Fr.];
untractable†,
unteachable;
giddy
etc.
(inattentive)
458;
inconsiderate
etc.
(neglectful)
460;
stupid
etc.
499;
inactive
etc.
683;
incompetent;
unqualified,
disqualified,
ill-qualified;
unfit;
quackish;
raw,
green,
inexperienced,
rusty,
out of practice.
unaccustomed,
unused,
untrained
etc.
537,
uninitiated,
unconversant
etc.
(ignorant)
491†;
shiftless;
unstatesmanlike.
unadvised;
ill-advised,
misadvised;
ill-devised,
ill-imagined,
ill-judged,
ill-contrived,
ill-conducted;
unguided,
misguided;
misconducted,
foolish,
wild;
infelicitous;
penny wise and pound foolish
etc.
(inconsistent)
608.
... show more
2 heavy-handed
Unjustly domineering:
— Incensed at the government's heavy-handed economic policies.
synonym: roughshod.
Moby thesaurus: autocratic, awkward, bungling, clumsy, despotic, dictatorial, domineering, graceless, harsh, imperious, inept, magisterial, maladroit, oppressive, overbearing, severe, tyrannical, ungraceful.
debug info: 0.0168