English

Alternative forms

• heavyhanded

Adjective

heavy-handed ‎(comparative more heavy-handed, superlative most heavy-handed)

1. Clumsy, awkward.
   • 2012, Margaret Powell, The Downstairs Cookbook, ISBN 1743299753:

     Some people say, 'I can't make pastry, I'm too heavy-handed.'

2. Excessive, overdone.
   • 2015, Suzanne Lenzer, Truly Madly Pizza, ISBN 1623362199:

     However, recently I got a little heavy-handed with the red pepper flakes.

   Do not be too heavy-handed with the salt.

3. Simplistic, lacking subtlety or nuance.
   • 2005, Nicholas Rombes, The Ramones' Ramones, ISBN 1441183272:

     ...punk “music has been, and still is, one of the most heavy-handed genres of music there is. Unfortunately the topics of such heavy-handed songs are almost always seeped in left wing propaganda, bumper sticker rallying calls and oversimplifications of otherwise complex topics."

4. Overbearing; pushy and coercive.
   • 2014, Jayne Ann Krentz, River Road, ISBN 034940156X:

     “Heavy-handed, huh? Is that by any chance your way of telling me that I'm a bad communicator?" "No, it's my way of telling you that you obviously haven't shaken the take-charge attitude."

5. Extreme; unnecessarily forceful; harsh, oppressive, and cruel.
   • 2015, John D. Visconti, Fetch More Dollars For Your Dog Training Business, ISBN 1617811653:

     I cite how ineffective heavy-handed training methods are due to the physiological state of high arousal and avoidance behaviors they cause in dogs.

Synonyms

• (unnecessarily forceful): hardhanded, draconian
• (overbearing): coercive, dictatorial
• (simplistic): unsubtle, blunt
• (excessive): over the top
• (clumsy): ham-handed

Translations