heavy 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhe-vē How to pronounce heavy (audio)
Definition of heavynext
1
as in massive
having great weight this trunk full of books is much too heavy for one person to lift

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slow
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest the study of history doesn't have to be all about dull heavy reading and the memorization of dates

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in greasy
containing much seasoning, fat, or sugar avoid heavy desserts like cheesecake and pecan pie

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in hazy
covered over by clouds heavy skies threatening rain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in harsh
difficult to endure they paid a heavy price for their mistakes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in intensive
extreme in degree, power, or effect heavy rains the company is forecasting heavy losses this year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in serious
having a matter of importance as its topic got into a heavy discussion about death and the afterlife

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort until we find our groove, it's going to be heavy sledding on this project

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in powerful
having great power or influence she's not among the handful of heavy critics who can make or break a Broadway show

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in pregnant
containing unborn young within the body the heifer was heavy with young and soon would be birthing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

heavy

2 of 2

noun

1
as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person he played the heavy in film after film until being cast against type as the romantic lead in a comedy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in heavyweight
one of high position or importance within a group in the field of secondary education, she definitely ranks as one of the heavies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective heavy differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of heavy are cumbersome, cumbrous, ponderous, and weighty. While all these words mean "having great weight," heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.

a heavy child for his age

How are the words cumbrous and cumbersome related as synonyms of heavy?

Both cumbrous and cumbersome imply heaviness and bulkiness that make for difficulty in grasping, moving, carrying, or manipulating.

wrestled with the cumbrous furniture
early cameras were cumbersome and inconvenient

When could ponderous be used to replace heavy?

The meanings of ponderous and heavy largely overlap; however, ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

Where would weighty be a reasonable alternative to heavy?

In some situations, the words weighty and heavy are roughly equivalent. However, weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heavy
Adjective
But this approach also limits their potential to deliver on-site, low-carbon heat and electricity to heavy energy users like aluminum, steel, or chemical plants. —Anna Heim, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025 Pakistan has experienced a series of deadly floods through the summer monsoon season, but a fresh deluge of heavy rain in early September intensified the humanitarian crisis. —Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
As population has grown, Winans said, demand for police services has gone up all over the district, which is the most populous and crash-heavy in the state. —Idaho Statesman, 13 Aug. 2025 Or heavies like Hilton Als, Helen Shaw, Brian Dillon, and Dawn Lundy Martin. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 24 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for heavy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavy
  1. massive
  2. slow
  3. greasy
  4. hazy
  5. harsh
  6. intensive
  7. serious
  8. difficult
Adjective
  • In short, the massive popularity of its original anime ‘80s run wasn’t matched by its merchandising, and that’s something that is now being belatedly addressed.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Musk has long said Starship’s sheer size and power could make brand-new types of missions possible, including carrying groups of humans to Mars and deploying massive new space telescopes.
    — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Definition of massive
Adjective
  • Biden, who ended his bid for a second White House term 107 days before last year's election, has been relatively slow to move on presidential library planning compared with most of his recent predecessors.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025
  • With Parkinson’s, doctors implant electrodes in the brain that produce electrical impulses to disrupt the abnormal signals that cause tremors, stiffness and slow movement.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
Definition of slow
Adjective
  • Dip a microfiber cloth into the water and then gently scrub away any greasy spots on your cabinets.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2025
  • And because Rhode is all about keeping skin health front of mind, the product ensures lasting hydration that never enters greasy territory.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 5 Sep. 2025
Definition of greasy
Adjective
  • This character development does not really land, however, and Mersault becomes increasingly hazy, disappearing into a cloud of abstraction in the third act.
    — Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025
  • People take pictures with the Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas sign under hazy orange skies as the sun sets in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 29, 2023.
    — Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Definition of hazy
Adjective
  • The once-beloved pastels will become harsh.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The pilgrimage, listed on the official calendar of jubilee events, comes as gay Catholics look to Pope Leo XIV to continue down the bold path of his predecessor to welcome into the church a group that has in the past faced alienation and sometimes harsh treatment.
    — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
Definition of harsh
Adjective
  • Zack recently completed five weeks of intensive training with his handler, Deputy Trisha List.
    — Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Measles, for example, was eliminated in the US in 2000 through intensive vaccination.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Definition of intensive
Adjective
  • Thankfully, the most recent accident was less serious, and Sabrina and their unborn child were ultimately okay.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Between them, Sinner and Alcaraz have dispatched their only serious rival in three straight majors, largely making every other match at these tournaments feel almost immaterial.
    — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Definition of serious
Adjective
  • The Bulls look to be the best team in the Group of Five conferences, while the Gators and coach Billy Napier are now under pressure with a difficult SEC schedule ahead.
    — Erick Smith, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Usually the final day of boot camp is most difficult.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of difficult

Phrases Containing heavy

Browse Nearby Words

heaving
heavy
heavy-duty
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heavy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavy. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on heavy

Nglish: Translation of heavy for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

A Guide to Using Semicolons

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Birds Say the Darndest Things

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Better Ways to Say 'This Sucks'
See More

Popular

See More

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3

Our Best Historical Slang Terms
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
high school student holding a pencil leaning over a sat test
Challenging Standardized Test Words 20 questions to help you score 1600
See All