Meanings
nouniron fist (plural iron fists)
plural iron fists
- figurativelyRuthless and usually unrestricted control.
Negotiate with an iron fist inside a velvet glove.
1 more example
Joseph Stalin ruled the Soviet Union with an iron fist.
Synonyms: iron hand, iron heel, despotism, totalitarianism, autocracy, monocracy, fascism, dictatorship
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn army's tank or cavalry branch.
nounRuthless and usually unrestricted control.
Translations
Arabic قُبْضَة حَدِيدِيَّة
- قُبْضَة حَدِيدِيَّة (qubḍa ḥadīdiyya)ruthless control
Chinese Mandarin 鐵腕 /铁腕, 鐵拳 /铁拳
- 鐵腕 /铁腕 (tiěwàn)ruthless control
- 鐵拳 /铁拳 (tiěquán)ruthless control
Czech železná ruka, železná pěst
- železná rukaruthless control
- železná pěstruthless control
Danish jernnæve, jernhånd
- jernnæveruthless control
- jernhåndruthless control
Dutch ijzeren vuist
- ijzeren vuistruthless control
Esperanto fera mano
- fera manoruthless control
Finnish teräksinen ote, rautakoura
- teräksinen oteruthless control
- rautakouraruthless control
French main de fer
- main de ferruthless control
German eiserne Hand, eiserne Faust
- eiserne Handruthless control
- eiserne Faustruthless control
Greek σιδηρά πυγμή
- σιδηρά πυγμή (sidirá pygmí)ruthless control
Hungarian vasököl
- vasökölruthless control
Italian pugno di ferro
- pugno di ferroruthless control
Japanese 圧政, 圧制
- 圧政 (assei)ruthless control
- 圧制 (assei)ruthless control
- 鉄拳 (tekken)ruthless control
Korean 폭정, 압제
- 폭정 (pokjeong)ruthless control
- 압제 (apje)ruthless control
- 철권 (cheolgwon)ruthless control
Lithuanian geležinis kumštis
- geležinis kumštisruthless control
Malay kuku besi
- kuku besiruthless control
Norwegian Bokmål jernhånd
- jernhåndruthless control
Portuguese punho de ferro
- punho de ferroruthless control
Romanian mână de fier
- mână de fierruthless control
Russian желе́зный кула́к
- желе́зный кула́к (želéznyj kulák)ruthless control
Slovak železná päsť
- železná päsťruthless control
Spanish mano dura, puño de hierro
- mano duraruthless control
- puño de hierroruthless control
- ordeno y mandoruthless control
Swedish järnhand
- järnhandruthless control
Tagalog kamay na bakal
- kamay na bakalruthless control
Ukrainian залі́зний кула́к
- залі́зний кула́к (zalíznyj kulák)ruthless control
Vietnamese bàn tay thép
- bàn tay thépruthless control
Cite this entry
APA
iron fist. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/iron%20fist
MLA
“iron fist.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/iron%20fist. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “iron fist,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/iron%20fist.
Source: iron fist on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.