roughshod meaning and definition

ROUGHSHOD adjective

Definition of roughshod (adjective)

1. (of a horse) having horseshoes with projecting nails to prevent slipping
2. (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
   • "a barbarous crime"; "brutal beatings"; "cruel tortures"; "Stalin's roughshod treatment of the kulaks"; "a savage slap"; "vicious kicks"
   • synonyms: barbarous, brutal, cruel, fell, savage, vicious
3. unjustly domineering
   • "incensed at the government's heavy-handed economic policies"; "a manager who rode roughshod over all opposition"
   • synonyms: heavy-handed