1
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
the manager displayed a high-handed demeanor that increasingly demoralized the members of his staff
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arbitrary
having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity
that country club tends to be rather high-handed about whom they let in and whom they shut out
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of high-handed
The sociopolitical implications of his story—desperate poverty, harassment by the police, along with exploitation by the boxing business and its high-handed authorities—are balanced by his earnest self-analyses and the detailing of his home life.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
The sociopolitical implications of his story—desperate poverty, harassment by the police, along with exploitation by the boxing business and its high-handed authorities—are balanced by his earnest self-analyses and the detailing of his home life.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
Georgian society, however, has shown increasing signs of fatigue with the former government’s high-handed policies.
—Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2012
Edward took a story that on paper could be very procedural and high-handed and made something that has this propulsive, edge-of-your-seat, wildly cinematic energy.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 7 May 2024
This crude and insulting decision is starkly reminiscent of the high-handed Hollywood of the studio era.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Even if Beijing were to resume regular REE sales, alternative sources would remove Beijing’s temptation to high-handed policies.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
With his penchant for high-handed letter writing, Gittins escalated things to the inevitable level.
—Max Olesker, Longreads, 13 July 2023
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
The sociopolitical implications of his story—desperate poverty, harassment by the police, along with exploitation by the boxing business and its high-handed authorities—are balanced by his earnest self-analyses and the detailing of his home life.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
Georgian society, however, has shown increasing signs of fatigue with the former government’s high-handed policies.
—Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2012
Edward took a story that on paper could be very procedural and high-handed and made something that has this propulsive, edge-of-your-seat, wildly cinematic energy.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 7 May 2024
This crude and insulting decision is starkly reminiscent of the high-handed Hollywood of the studio era.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Even if Beijing were to resume regular REE sales, alternative sources would remove Beijing’s temptation to high-handed policies.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
With his penchant for high-handed letter writing, Gittins escalated things to the inevitable level.
—Max Olesker, Longreads, 13 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-handed
Adjective
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In addition to Sandler, the 2025 film also sees the return of several familiar faces, including Julie Bowen as Happy’s love interest, Virginia Venit; Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin, Happy’s arrogant nemesis; and Ben Stiller as Hal L., the orderly from Happy’s grandmother’s nursing home.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Christopher McDonald plays Happy’s comically villainous, arrogant rival Shooter McGavin, maestro of the finger guns.—
Skyler Trepel,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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The Florida court contrived a weird and arbitrary compromise, granting new sentencing hearings only to death row prisoners whose sentences were considered final after 2002, when the U.S. court issued a decision that was a precursor to Hurst’s.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 July 2025
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Ultimately, Bae acknowledges, these classifications are somewhat arbitrary.—
Cody Cottier,
Discover Magazine,
26 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“High-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-handed. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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