level-handed
level-handed adjective: even-handed; fair and balanced.
Adjective
level-handed (comparative more level-handed, superlative most level-handed)
- Even-handed; fair and balanced.
- There is the opportunity for Apple to be level-handed and fair, and there is the chance for them not to be.1990 July 9, James Daly, “Apple developers find Claris reversal tough to swallow”, in Computerworld, volume 24, number 28
- The scenes in which they confront Sister Helen are powerfully balanced--director Tim Robbins presents their passion and pain with a level-handed touch.2001, Grant Tracey, Filmography of American History, →ISBN, page 287
- With work and earnings shared equally among all workers.
- There is practically no level-handed work at present, and therefore level-handed money is not paid.1904, The Engineer - Volume 98, page 143
- The custom of level-handed work (two employees dividing the work and pay of one or more occupations evenly) has been increasing in practice since the bureau first made a study of this industry.1925, United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wages and Hours of Labor in the Iron and Steel Industry, page 134
- Even; all parties having the same amount.
- Now we are level-handed ; you've got 5l. and I've got 5l.1836, The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History, Politics, and Literature of the year 1835, page 49
- “ Yes," I said, “ but you 've been milking mine, and that makes the difference again the other way.” “ Well, say we 're level-handed, and I'll make a chop with you.”1847, Alexander Harris, Settlers and convicts; or, Recollections of sixteen years' labour in the Australian Backwoods, page 349
Adverb
level-handed (not comparable)
- With work and earnings shared equally.
- In sheet mills the custom of two rollers working level-handed (dividing the pay evenly), instead of one roller working with a helper, has been increasing in recent years.1922, United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wages and Hours of Labor Series - Issues 44-50, page 165
- It would have been possible for them to work “level-handed ” themselves in the absence of the under-hands, and by that means have saved Mr. Johnson considerable expense, annoyance, and inconvenience, but they would not do so without extra pay, and that not being allowed, they went away in a body.1869, Justice of the Peace and Local Government Review
- Without a handicap.
- ...however incredulous most of us then were as to the chances of success the Colonials would have, all heartily applauded the pluck of young Australia in coming so far to play the game, level-handed, against the well-seasoned skilled cricketers of old England.2014, John Stern, Marcus Williams, The Essential Wisden: An Anthology of 150 Years of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, →ISBN
- I have got a single-wicket match on with Jackson " — he was the great bookmaker known as " Jock of Fairfield "— " for ,£5." I said : " You are surely not going to play him level-handed?1894, Henry Custance, Riding Recollections and Turf Stories, page 119
Examples of level-handed in a sentence
- No painter qualifies more than Hogarth as a painter of 'social criticism', but none, at the same time, was more level-handed in his use of that criterion. .2005, Anthony Powell, Some Poets, Artists & 'A Reference for Mellors', →ISBN, page 186:
- Campbell's statement and policy, is his allegation that the puddlers object to employing helpers, prefering^([sic]) level-handed men instead.1913, Industrial World - Volume 47, Issue 2, page 1337:
- Very often, particularly in the boiling department, the journeyman and his helper work “level-handed,” and divide the earnings equally.1920, The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science, page 137:
Forms of level-handed
| comparative | more level-handed |
|---|---|
| superlative | most level-handed |
| alternative form | levelhanded |
Origin of level-handed
From level + handed.
Words formed from level-handed
Questions about level-handed
- What does level-handed mean?
- Level-handed means even-handed; fair and balanced.
- How do you use level-handed in a sentence?
- No painter qualifies more than Hogarth as a painter of 'social criticism', but none, at the same time, was more level-handed in his use of that criterion. .
- What part of speech is level-handed?
- Level-handed can be an adjective or an adverb.
Words near level-handed in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: level-handed (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-level-handed.ogg.
Cite this entry: “level-handed.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/level-handed. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.