"lighthanded" meaning in English

See lighthanded in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

Forms: more lighthanded [comparative], most lighthanded [superlative]
Head templates: {{en-adj}} lighthanded (comparative more lighthanded, superlative most lighthanded)
  1. Alternative form of light-handed
    benign and with minimal intervention.
    Sense id: en-lighthanded-en-adj-E4kaPa0s
  2. Alternative form of light-handed
    Sparing.
    Sense id: en-lighthanded-en-adj-JMfJgys4
  3. Alternative form of light-handed
    nimble and dextrous;
    Sense id: en-lighthanded-en-adj-M2OVKxLv
  4. Alternative form of light-handed
    Light-hearted.
    Sense id: en-lighthanded-en-adj-FMYRcXk1 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English terms with consonant pseudo-digraphs Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 5 4 23 41 2 16 4 2 2 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 6 4 18 40 4 14 4 4 4 Disambiguation of English terms with consonant pseudo-digraphs: 8 8 13 28 7 15 8 7 7
  5. Alternative form of light-handed
    flippant.
    Sense id: en-lighthanded-en-adj-PHUGPYRo
  6. Alternative form of light-handed
    (nautical or military) Not having a full complement of workers.
    Categories (topical): Military, Nautical
    Sense id: en-lighthanded-en-adj-j9LOWbrI Topics: government, military, nautical, politics, transport, war
  7. Alternative form of light-handed
    Thieving.
    Sense id: en-lighthanded-en-adj-laNfdNqQ

Adverb

Forms: more lighthanded [comparative], most lighthanded [superlative]
Head templates: {{en-adv}} lighthanded (comparative more lighthanded, superlative most lighthanded)
  1. Alternative form of light-handed
    Carrying very little.
    Sense id: en-lighthanded-en-adv-yMZH0irI
  2. Alternative form of light-handed
    In a light-handed manner.
    Sense id: en-lighthanded-en-adv-3fyouwdT

Download JSON data for lighthanded meaning in English (9.7kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more lighthanded",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most lighthanded",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "lighthanded (comparative more lighthanded, superlative most lighthanded)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2012, Michael A. Crew, Competition and the Regulation of Utilities, page 81",
          "text": "FERC then drew on a potentially significant dictum from Farmers Union II: \"Moving from heavy to lighthanded regulation within the boundaries of an unchanged statute can ... be justified by a showing that under current circumstances the goal and purposes of the statute will be accomplished through substantially less regulatory oversight.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1997, U.S. National Conference on State Parks, Trends, page 33",
          "text": "On the other hand, lighthanded methods are believed to have more subtle effects on behaviors, often through influencing attitudes, creating knowledge, or manipulating the environment to accomplish desirable ends.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1979, United States Congress House Committee on Government Operations. Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Subcommittee, Energy Conservation Within the Federal Government: The Department of Energy's Role. Hearings, page 104",
          "text": "Does it reflect your position toward the other agencies that, in the words of your Deputy, this program should be as lighthanded as possible?",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "benign and with minimal intervention."
      ],
      "id": "en-lighthanded-en-adj-E4kaPa0s",
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "benign",
          "benign"
        ],
        [
          "intervention",
          "intervention"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2014, Donna Lynn Thomas, Quiltmaking Essentials I: Cutting and Piecing Skills",
          "text": "When sewing strip sets, use a lighthanded approach feeding the strips under the presser foot so the crosswise grain isn't stretched.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Marc Twine, Intermission: Volume 1",
          "text": "When it came to food, Melissa preferred subtle nuance and lighthanded seasoning.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "Sparing."
      ],
      "id": "en-lighthanded-en-adj-JMfJgys4",
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "Sparing",
          "sparing"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1975, Robert I. Levy, Tahitians: Mind and Experience in the Society Islands, page 44",
          "text": "From all evidence he manages the subtle responsibilities of the tdvana role with a delicate and lighthanded virtuosity.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1893, Richard Redgrave, A Catalogue of the National Gallery of British Art at South Kensington, page 19",
          "text": "The early works of this painter are a complete study for lighthanded and beautiful execution; they look imitatively perfect, yet many instances are known of his extreme rapidity of execution.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1877, Henry James, Four Meetings",
          "text": "Winterbourne constantly attended for news from the sick-room, which reached him, however, but with worrying indirectness, though he once had speech, for a moment, of the poor girl's physician and once saw Mrs Miller, who, sharply alarmed, struck him as thereby more happily inspired than he could have conceived and indeed as the most noiseless and lighthanded of nurses.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "nimble and dextrous;"
      ],
      "id": "en-lighthanded-en-adj-M2OVKxLv",
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "nimble",
          "nimble"
        ],
        [
          "dextrous",
          "dextrous"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "5 4 23 41 2 16 4 2 2",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 4 18 40 4 14 4 4 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 8 13 28 7 15 8 7 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with consonant pseudo-digraphs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2004, Willi Goetschel, Spinoza's Modernity: Mendelssohn, Lessing, and Heine, page 268",
          "text": "In recovering the pointedly Spinozist impulse, the deeper critical motivation behind Heine's seemingly lighthanded poetic playfulness comes to the fore.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003, Ida Friederike Görres, The Hidden Face: A Study of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, page 112",
          "text": "Gaiety and an overflowing, outpouring love, warmth and clarity, a lighthanded ease, replaced the tormented tension of the will which had marked the outgrown stage.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2002, Stephen Windwalker, Selling Used Books Online, page 62",
          "text": "If you live and work in a small town atmosphere and can find acceptable ways to make yourself and your enterprise known in a lighthanded way to either or both groups in your town, you may find that some day down the road one of them will mention you to a family member who has just offhandedly mentioned the need to get rid of a collection of books.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "Light-hearted."
      ],
      "id": "en-lighthanded-en-adj-FMYRcXk1",
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "Light-hearted",
          "light-hearted"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "flippant."
      ],
      "id": "en-lighthanded-en-adj-PHUGPYRo",
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "flippant",
          "flippant"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Military",
          "orig": "en:Military",
          "parents": [
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Nautical",
          "orig": "en:Nautical",
          "parents": [
            "Transport",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1887, The Contributor: Representing the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations of the Latter-day Saints, Volume 8, page 168",
          "text": "Being so lighthanded the vessel could not be properly managed and could carry but little sail, consequently her progress was but slow.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1836, James Fenimore Cooper, The Water Witch",
          "text": "We will hold on to the last, while he must begin to take in soon, or the squall will come upon him too fast for a light-handed vessel.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "Not having a full complement of workers."
      ],
      "id": "en-lighthanded-en-adj-j9LOWbrI",
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "nautical",
          "nautical"
        ],
        [
          "military",
          "military"
        ],
        [
          "complement",
          "complement"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "(nautical or military) Not having a full complement of workers."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "military",
        "nautical",
        "politics",
        "transport",
        "war"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1997 January, Time Carr, “Choosing A Dinghy -- The Hard Way”, in Cruising World",
          "text": "Captive rowlocks keep the oars in the boat while you 're rowing and discourage lighthanded hardware seekers when you go ashore.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1922, Van Tassel Sutphen, In Jeopardy",
          "text": "You understand what darkies are—as curious as magpies and quite as lighthanded. If one of them had chanced to see Effingham hiding something behind the clock, he would be sure to investigate for himself at the first convenient opportunity.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "Thieving."
      ],
      "id": "en-lighthanded-en-adj-laNfdNqQ",
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "Thieving",
          "thieving"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "lighthanded"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more lighthanded",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most lighthanded",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "lighthanded (comparative more lighthanded, superlative most lighthanded)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2013, Jack London, The Son of the Wolf",
          "text": "Though he prayed for a moose, just one moose,all game seemed to have deserted the land, and nightfall found the exhausted man crawling into camp, lighthanded, heavyhearted.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1909, Annie Laurie Adams Baird, Daybreak in Korea: A Tale of Transformation in the Far East, page 113",
          "text": "The trip was to be a short one this time, and he was going lighthanded, leaving behind him the necessities of life as represented by American articles of diet.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1860, William Peter Strickland, Old Mackinaw, or, The fortress of the Lakes and its surroundings, page 351",
          "text": "The true state of the case is, that manufactures, as a general thing, in view of the depressed condition of the trade, have been making calculations to do a light business, and got out their logs sooner than they expected, and will on the whole do rather more than they had anticipated, having gone into the woods lighthanded.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "Carrying very little."
      ],
      "id": "en-lighthanded-en-adv-yMZH0irI",
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1919, The Saturday Evening Post - Volume 191, Issues 49-52, page 124",
          "text": "He must go lighthanded to whatever it was that impended.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "In a light-handed manner."
      ],
      "id": "en-lighthanded-en-adv-3fyouwdT",
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "lighthanded"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English adverbs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms with consonant pseudo-digraphs"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more lighthanded",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most lighthanded",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "lighthanded (comparative more lighthanded, superlative most lighthanded)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2012, Michael A. Crew, Competition and the Regulation of Utilities, page 81",
          "text": "FERC then drew on a potentially significant dictum from Farmers Union II: \"Moving from heavy to lighthanded regulation within the boundaries of an unchanged statute can ... be justified by a showing that under current circumstances the goal and purposes of the statute will be accomplished through substantially less regulatory oversight.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1997, U.S. National Conference on State Parks, Trends, page 33",
          "text": "On the other hand, lighthanded methods are believed to have more subtle effects on behaviors, often through influencing attitudes, creating knowledge, or manipulating the environment to accomplish desirable ends.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1979, United States Congress House Committee on Government Operations. Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Subcommittee, Energy Conservation Within the Federal Government: The Department of Energy's Role. Hearings, page 104",
          "text": "Does it reflect your position toward the other agencies that, in the words of your Deputy, this program should be as lighthanded as possible?",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "benign and with minimal intervention."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "benign",
          "benign"
        ],
        [
          "intervention",
          "intervention"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2014, Donna Lynn Thomas, Quiltmaking Essentials I: Cutting and Piecing Skills",
          "text": "When sewing strip sets, use a lighthanded approach feeding the strips under the presser foot so the crosswise grain isn't stretched.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Marc Twine, Intermission: Volume 1",
          "text": "When it came to food, Melissa preferred subtle nuance and lighthanded seasoning.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "Sparing."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "Sparing",
          "sparing"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1975, Robert I. Levy, Tahitians: Mind and Experience in the Society Islands, page 44",
          "text": "From all evidence he manages the subtle responsibilities of the tdvana role with a delicate and lighthanded virtuosity.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1893, Richard Redgrave, A Catalogue of the National Gallery of British Art at South Kensington, page 19",
          "text": "The early works of this painter are a complete study for lighthanded and beautiful execution; they look imitatively perfect, yet many instances are known of his extreme rapidity of execution.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1877, Henry James, Four Meetings",
          "text": "Winterbourne constantly attended for news from the sick-room, which reached him, however, but with worrying indirectness, though he once had speech, for a moment, of the poor girl's physician and once saw Mrs Miller, who, sharply alarmed, struck him as thereby more happily inspired than he could have conceived and indeed as the most noiseless and lighthanded of nurses.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "nimble and dextrous;"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "nimble",
          "nimble"
        ],
        [
          "dextrous",
          "dextrous"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2004, Willi Goetschel, Spinoza's Modernity: Mendelssohn, Lessing, and Heine, page 268",
          "text": "In recovering the pointedly Spinozist impulse, the deeper critical motivation behind Heine's seemingly lighthanded poetic playfulness comes to the fore.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003, Ida Friederike Görres, The Hidden Face: A Study of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, page 112",
          "text": "Gaiety and an overflowing, outpouring love, warmth and clarity, a lighthanded ease, replaced the tormented tension of the will which had marked the outgrown stage.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2002, Stephen Windwalker, Selling Used Books Online, page 62",
          "text": "If you live and work in a small town atmosphere and can find acceptable ways to make yourself and your enterprise known in a lighthanded way to either or both groups in your town, you may find that some day down the road one of them will mention you to a family member who has just offhandedly mentioned the need to get rid of a collection of books.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "Light-hearted."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "Light-hearted",
          "light-hearted"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "flippant."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "flippant",
          "flippant"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Military",
        "en:Nautical"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1887, The Contributor: Representing the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations of the Latter-day Saints, Volume 8, page 168",
          "text": "Being so lighthanded the vessel could not be properly managed and could carry but little sail, consequently her progress was but slow.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1836, James Fenimore Cooper, The Water Witch",
          "text": "We will hold on to the last, while he must begin to take in soon, or the squall will come upon him too fast for a light-handed vessel.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "Not having a full complement of workers."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "nautical",
          "nautical"
        ],
        [
          "military",
          "military"
        ],
        [
          "complement",
          "complement"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "(nautical or military) Not having a full complement of workers."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "military",
        "nautical",
        "politics",
        "transport",
        "war"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1997 January, Time Carr, “Choosing A Dinghy -- The Hard Way”, in Cruising World",
          "text": "Captive rowlocks keep the oars in the boat while you 're rowing and discourage lighthanded hardware seekers when you go ashore.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1922, Van Tassel Sutphen, In Jeopardy",
          "text": "You understand what darkies are—as curious as magpies and quite as lighthanded. If one of them had chanced to see Effingham hiding something behind the clock, he would be sure to investigate for himself at the first convenient opportunity.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "Thieving."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ],
        [
          "Thieving",
          "thieving"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "lighthanded"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English adverbs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms with consonant pseudo-digraphs"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more lighthanded",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most lighthanded",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "lighthanded (comparative more lighthanded, superlative most lighthanded)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2013, Jack London, The Son of the Wolf",
          "text": "Though he prayed for a moose, just one moose,all game seemed to have deserted the land, and nightfall found the exhausted man crawling into camp, lighthanded, heavyhearted.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1909, Annie Laurie Adams Baird, Daybreak in Korea: A Tale of Transformation in the Far East, page 113",
          "text": "The trip was to be a short one this time, and he was going lighthanded, leaving behind him the necessities of life as represented by American articles of diet.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1860, William Peter Strickland, Old Mackinaw, or, The fortress of the Lakes and its surroundings, page 351",
          "text": "The true state of the case is, that manufactures, as a general thing, in view of the depressed condition of the trade, have been making calculations to do a light business, and got out their logs sooner than they expected, and will on the whole do rather more than they had anticipated, having gone into the woods lighthanded.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "Carrying very little."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1919, The Saturday Evening Post - Volume 191, Issues 49-52, page 124",
          "text": "He must go lighthanded to whatever it was that impended.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of light-handed",
        "In a light-handed manner."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "light-handed",
          "light-handed#English"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "lighthanded"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.