Antonyms of adj heavy-handed

2 senses of heavy-handed

Sense 1
bumbling, bungling, butterfingered, ham-fisted, ham-handed, handless, heavy-handed, left-handed -- (lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands; "a bumbling mechanic"; "a bungling performance"; "ham-handed governmental interference"; "could scarcely empty a scuttle of ashes, so handless was the poor creature"- Mary H. Vorse)

INDIRECT (VIA maladroit) -> adroit -- (quick or skillful or adept in action or thought; "an exceptionally adroit pianist"; "an adroit technician"; "his adroit replies to hecklers won him many followers"; "an adroit negotiator")

Sense 2
heavy-handed, roughshod -- (unjustly domineering; "incensed at the government's heavy-handed economic policies"; "a manager who rode roughshod over all opposition")

INDIRECT (VIA domineering) -> submissive -- (inclined or willing to submit to orders or wishes of others or showing such inclination; "submissive servants"; "a submissive reply"; "replacing troublemakers with more submissive people")

Similarity of adj heavy-handed

2 senses of heavy-handed

Sense 1
bumbling, bungling, butterfingered, ham-fisted, ham-handed, handless, heavy-handed, left-handed -- (lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands; "a bumbling mechanic"; "a bungling performance"; "ham-handed governmental interference"; "could scarcely empty a scuttle of ashes, so handless was the poor creature"- Mary H. Vorse)
       => maladroit (vs. adroit) -- (not adroit; "a maladroit movement of his hand caused the car to swerve"; "a maladroit translation"; "maladroit propaganda")

Sense 2
heavy-handed, roughshod -- (unjustly domineering; "incensed at the government's heavy-handed economic policies"; "a manager who rode roughshod over all opposition")
       => domineering (vs. submissive) -- (tending to domineer)