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left-handed

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Using or intended for the left hand.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

lehfthandid

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

lɛftˈhændɪd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. Using or intended for the left hand

  2. Using one's left hand in preference to, or more skillfully than, one's right.

  3. Intended to be worn on, or used by, the left hand.

  4. Turning or spiraling from right to left; anticlockwise.

  5. Of a coordinate system: not following the right-hand rule.

  6. Awkward or maladroit.

noun

  1. Left-handed people, taken as a whole.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Typical Use
Rare

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Using or intended for the left hand

Used this way, left-handed is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • sinistral , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use left-handed

  • “Left-handed golfers need left-handed clubs.”adjective

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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

adjective

Sense: using or intended for the left hand

anticlockwisesinistralRare

noun

Sense: left-handed people or taken as a whole

sinistralTechnical

Antonyms

Sense: using or intended for the left hand

ambidextrousRare

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.