heavy-handed adjective4 •Clumsy; awkward.Some people say, 'I can't make pastry, I'm too heavy-handed.' — 2012 •Overbearing, coercive; unnecessarily forceful; harsh, oppressive.“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." — 2014 •Excessive; overdone.Do not be too heavy-handed with the salt. •Lacking subtlety or nuance. formsheavier-handed · heaviest-handed