What does "left-handed" mean?
Left-handed people, taken as a whole.
Left-handed
/lɛftˈhændɪd/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Left-handed people, taken as a whole.
- Grammar: left-handed is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: abusive, all thumbs, ambidextrous, atrocious.
- Useful contrasts: dextromanual, ambidextrous, dextral.
- Usage evidence: Tim writes as if he were left-handed.
How to use "left-handed"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "left-handed" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "left-handed" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "left-handed" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "left-handed" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "left-handed" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abusive" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "left-handed", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Left-handed people, taken as a whole. plural, plural-only
"Evidence contradicting this principle came from a study of epileptic patients by Penfield and Roberts (1959) who found that dysphasia following surgery on the right hemisphere was not significantly more frequent in the left-handed than in the right-handed."
Adjective
- 1 Using one's left hand in preference to, or more skillfully than, one's right. not-comparable
- 2 Intended to be worn on, or used by, the left hand. not-comparable
- 3 Turning or spiraling from right to left; anticlockwise. not-comparable
- 4 Awkward or maladroit. not-comparable
- 5 Insincere or malicious. not-comparable
"The commendations of this people are not always […]left-handed and detractive."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Performed with the intention of doing harm or in transgression against convention or taboo; following the left-hand path not-comparable
"On the other hand, nearly all magic tends in time to the left-handed path; as being a devious means of attaining desires unobtainable by ordinary methods."
- 7 Of a coordinate system: not following the right-hand rule. not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands wordnet
- 2 ironically ambiguous wordnet
- 3 rotating to the left wordnet
- 4 (of marriages) of a marriage between one of royal or noble birth and one of lower rank; valid but with the understanding that the rank of the inferior remains unchanged and offspring do not succeed to titles or property of the superior wordnet
- 5 (of marriages) illicit or informal wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 using or intended for the left hand wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Tim writes as if he were left-handed."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "left-handed"?
Common synonyms include: abusive, all thumbs, ambidextrous, atrocious, awkward, backhanded.
How do you use "left-handed" in a sentence?
Tim writes as if he were left-handed.
How do you pronounce "left-handed"?
Pronounced /lɛftˈhændɪd/.
Etymology
From Middle English left handyd, lyfthonded, equivalent to left + handed.