How to Use heavy-handed in a Sentence

heavy-handed

adjective
  • Will the specifics be light-handed or heavy-handed?
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
  • That's a little heavy-handed, no?
    — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026
  • Clumsy, heavy-handed, a little too clever maybe here and there.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
  • Everyone is kind and at the ready for any guest, although not in a heavy-handed way.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 May 2026
  • These have been replaced by an endless monotone of heavy-handed highs.
    — Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
  • This show had to find a tonal balance and say something, but do so in a way that doesn’t feel heavy-handed.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 June 2023
  • That can be good or bad depending on the item or fabric, or for those who might be heavy-handed.
    — Joe Salas october 29, New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Trump has carried on with that tradition, albeit in a more heavy-handed way.
    — Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
  • In yet another heavy-handed move, the hunters even turn up with torches toward the end.
    — Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024
  • This heavy-handed approach wasn’t unique to NYU.
    — Jonathan Zimmerman, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Those charges have prompted criticism from some that the state is being heavy-handed.
    — Jeff Martin and Jeff Amy, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Mar. 2023
  • Those charges have prompted criticism from some that the state is being heavy-handed.
    — Jeff Martin and Jeff Amy, ajc, 7 Mar. 2023
  • There’s a real threat of backlash to Trump’s heavy-handed approach.
    — Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Stained with turmeric and run through with heavy-handed additions of dairy, these potatoes don’t play it safe.
    — The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2025
  • Critics have called out the heavy-handed response used against protesters.
    — Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2025
  • This is a heavy-handed use of a law originally written for the Mafia.
    — The Editors, National Review, 16 Aug. 2023
  • Some protests in recent weeks have turned violent and have been met by a heavy-handed police response.
    — Aurelien Breeden, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Apr. 2023
  • Too heavy-handed with the saltshaker—a little squeeze will balance the saltiness in sauces and soups.
    — Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Yes, Israel has been much too heavy-handed in its response to Hamas in Gaza.
    — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 June 2026
  • But this heavy-handed assault on direct democracy is not the answer.
    — Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2025
  • Sometimes, weighty implication can feel more heavy-handed than just stating the thing straight out.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2023
  • Moos, in the book, portrayed the leadership during his tenure as heavy-handed.
    — Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Trump’s heavy-handed approach to our southern neighbors is built on the same assumption.
    — Elizabeth Shackelford, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Both actors put in a shift here, but this is also where the religious imagery makes its heavy-handed presence known.
    — Ian Stokes, Space.com, 12 June 2026
  • Trotter is a downhill, heavy-handed tone-setter with real pedigree.
    — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
  • The protests resulted in scores of civilian deaths amid a heavy-handed response from Kenyan police.
    — Larry Madowo, CNN, 12 July 2024
  • Rights groups have accused police in France of responding to the wave of protests with heavy-handed tactics.
    — Morgan Coates, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
  • The therapy gets a little heavy-handed in the protracted final stretch.
    — Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
  • The staging could do without the underscoring that becomes heavy-handed in the play’s later stages.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
  • Washington seemed less heavy-handed and intrusive.
    — Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heavy-handed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: