as in jackbooted
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for ironfisted
Adjective
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Cooper was obsessed with the New World Order and the actions of jackbooted government enforcers against the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, and white separatist Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, Idaho.—
Andrew Stuttaford,
WSJ,
19 Sep. 2018 -
Hungary under his rule is far from a jackbooted dictatorship, but its democracy is diverging markedly from that of many of its partners in the European Union.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
Washington Post,
6 Apr. 2018
Adjective
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For those still experiencing the oppressive heat, here are some tips for how to find your own bit of relief.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
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The oppressive heat and humidity, which have brought triple-digit temperatures across the Midwest and East Coast in recent weeks, have caused the pavement to buckle on roads in a number of states.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Buried under heavy-handed shots of children awaiting Superman's salvation, scientifically opaque explanations of a pocket universe, and an ensemble of characters large enough to populate a Kansas small town, there are flickers of a good, maybe even great, movie.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
8 July 2025
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However, in the second season, the directors began getting heavy-handed with their notes for her.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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As the bow and stern sections tore free from one another, the ship’s contents were ejected and rained down across the ocean floor, dispersing everything from luggage and dinnerware to engine parts and personal belongings.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
6 July 2025
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The affable Carroll was the polar opposite of the stern hard-driving Parcells.—
Tribune Content Agency,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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If coffee is a sledgehammer blow to the brain — admittedly sometimes useful — yaupon was more like a gentle neural stroking.—
Gabriel Popkin,
Washington Post,
15 Aug. 2022
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And Sundwall said that, in retrospect, state health officials took a sledgehammer approach to mitigating the pandemic, such as school closings in 2020, when the state could have taken a more surgical tack.—
Bethany Rodgers,
The Salt Lake Tribune,
27 Sep. 2021
Adjective
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But going back to trying to be gentle in ungentle times.—
Stephanie Stradley,
Houston Chronicle,
25 Sep. 2020
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Notes From an Apocalypse is a gentle argument for coming to terms with the precarity of life, published in a moment where people are facing its fragility in an immediate and ungentle context.—
Kate Knibbs,
Wired,
16 Apr. 2020
Adjective
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Students reported a range of misfortunes, including severe injuries from car accidents, pregnancy complications, depression, PTSD, blindness and chronic illness—all conditions that could befall any STEM major at any time.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
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The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office announced the new charges on Monday after the death of Karen Diamond, who suffered severe injuries from the perpetrator’s Molotov cocktails.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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Robert Shapiro, the first member and initial chair of OJ Simpson's defense team, gave a grim prediction regarding Diddy's potential sentence.—
Lauryn Overhultz , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
8 July 2025
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In 2024, that number hit a heartbreaking 105 — a grim record for child drownings in the state, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF).—
Karen Cohn,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 July 2025
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“Ironfisted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://x0upouf933.proxynodejs.usequeue.com/thesaurus/ironfisted. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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