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Synonyms

high-handed

American  
[hahy-han-did] / ˈhaɪˈhæn dɪd /

adjective

  1. condescending or presumptuous; overbearing; arbitrary.

    He has a highhanded manner.


high-handed British  

adjective

  1. tactlessly overbearing and inconsiderate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • high-handedly adverb
  • high-handedness noun

Etymology

Origin of high-handed

First recorded in 1625–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One official who was involved and spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid facing retribution said they were disgusted by the request’s “brazenness and the high-handed expectation of complicity.”

From Salon

Yet Bill Hodges, executive director of the Orange County division of the League of California Cities, maintains that L.A. is still high-handed when it comes to regional issues.

From Los Angeles Times

Conservative hereditary peer Lord Strathclyde called the legislation a "high-handed, shoddy political act".

From BBC

But Idaho’s Republican legislators have been way too cavalier and high-handed about this problem, burying their heads in the sand and refusing to fix it.

From Seattle Times

But that relationship will always be hostage to events; either a flare-up in the South China Sea, or any other act by China seen as high-handed by the Vietnamese.

From BBC