high-handed.

Using authority in an overbearing way without regard for others' rights or wishes.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• high-handed decision
• high-handed treatment

On the page

The high-handed decision denied the tenants a chance to speak.

She refused to accept his high-handed treatment of the staff.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychological / character. Forms: Comparative more high-handed; superlative most high-handed where gradation is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.