high-handed

[ hahy-han-did ]

adjective

1. condescending or presumptuous; overbearing; arbitrary:

   He has a highhanded manner.

high-handed

adjective

1. tactlessly overbearing and inconsiderate

Derived Forms

• ˌhigh-ˈhandedly, adverb
• ˌhigh-ˈhandedness, noun

Other Words From

• high-handed·ly adverb
• high-handed·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of high-handed¹

First recorded in 1625–35

Example Sentences

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

The party has also been accused of legitimizing New Delhi’s high-handed militaristic policies there.

From Seattle Times

In countering misinformation, FDA also risks coming off as high-handed.

From Salon

Related Words

• authoritarian
• autocratic
• dictatorial
• imperious
• overbearing
• tyrannical