heavily

adverb

heavi·​ly ˈhe-və-lē 

1

: to a great degree : severely

The building was heavily damaged.

The decision weighs heavily on my mind. [=is very difficult and worrisome]

2

: slowly and laboriously : dully

sighed heavily

3

archaic : with sorrow : grievously

4

: in a heavy manner

sat down heavily

Synonyms of heavily

• extremely
• highly
• terribly
• very
• incredibly
• badly
• severely
• too
• so
• intensely
• greatly
• damned
• desperately
• really
• damn
• seriously
• wildly
• far
• much
• especially
• most

Examples of heavily in a Sentence

He relies heavily on his wife for advice.

These artists borrow heavily from Picasso.

Our flowers were heavily damaged by a late spring frost.

She drank and smoked heavily for years.

He sat down heavily on the couch.

He was leaning heavily on the table.

She sighed heavily then said “Okay, I'll do it.”

Recent Examples on the Web

All orders featured generous portion sizes—vegetarians be warned, meat and fish feature heavily throughout the menu. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026

The Wolverines depend heavily on sophomore guards Olson, Syla Swords and Mila Holloway, and second-year transfer Brooke Quarles Daniels. —CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026

Fontenot, running with his left ankle heavily tape, was pushed early by Rancho Cucamonga Etiwanda’s Brandon Andrade. —Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026

Its impressive results are welcome news for Amazon MGM, which is investing heavily in theatrical movies by committing to releasing roughly a dozen films in cinemas annually. —Brent Lang, Variety, 29 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing heavily

• heavily armed

Rhymes for heavily

• evilly