Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
High-handed \High"-hand`ed\, a. Overbearing; oppressive; arbitrary; violent; as, a high-handed act.
Wiktionary
a. Using power or authority without proper consideration for the feelings or rights of others.
WordNet
adj. given to haughty disregard of others [syn: cavalier]
Usage examples of "high-handed".
But one would already suppose by the felling of trees and the devastation of the stream down below, that moon-folk were a high-handed lot, lacking fear of judgment on themselves, or perhaps simply lacking any realization that the Tachi were civilized people, who ought to be respected.
This high-handed treatment made the savages sue for peace, and furnish, although they complained of want themselves, owing to a bad harvest, a hundred bushels of corn.
I will do so, but could you oblige me by telling me the reason for such a high-handed action?
In a military town with beaucoups of demand for rental properties, he had a high-handed marketing approach, maybe even a greedy-seeming one, but Mister JayMac didnt care about the money he could makehe could do that renting to either GIs or playersbut about the welfare of his immediate employees during each CVL season.
With your rather high-handed methods, you crossed swords with Castleford more than once.
Larad had some times suspected that their father had almost preferred Thella, with her aggressive high-handed manner, to his son’s more considerative, reflective ways.
Larad had sometimes suspected that their father had almost preferred Thella, with her aggressive high-handed manner, to his son's more considerative, reflective ways.
Larad had sometimes suspected that their father had almost preferred Thella, with her aggressive high-handed manner, to his son’s more considerative, reflective ways.
I might well choose to marry the Princess Madouc, though she is as high-handed and vain as the artful little frippet who sits beside you now.
In an hour the debate had been shut off, despite howls from Diamonds and their sympathizers about gag law and high-handed procedure.
Their beef is with you and Cody and Hartline and your high-handed police state and your dictatorial powers.
The Landtag, exasperated at his high-handed methods, refused to give him the necessary credits.
She had accused him of being overdemanding and high-handed and sometimes she outright distrusted him, particularly after he supplied Balam with the destination lock codes of the redoubt's gateway to bring in Sam.
In southeastern Pennsylvania the previous year there had been an armed uprising by German (Pennsylvania Dutch) farmers angry over the federal tax on land and the high-handed ways of the federal tax collectors.
She was both attracted to and repelled by his domineering, high-handed manner, and yet he represented a challenge to her.