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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

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heavy

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noun

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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
This lightweight formula allows for thorough cleansing without weighing down hair from heavy product. Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 4 Apr. 2025 That’s a heavy theme for a kids show to take on, but it's balanced out with elements that kids will also find entertaining. Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 4 Apr. 2025
Noun
Late one night, the heavies from the local don throw a few bricks through the window of an honest shopkeeper. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025 The 6 foot 5 inch Lister made an indelible impression as Deebo, the bicycle-riding neighborhood heavy who terrorizes Ice Cube and Chris Tucker in the comedy Friday (1995). Danny Horn, EW.com, 27 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heavy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavy
Adjective
  • Masterminded by the Rockwell Group, that means a cocktail lounge draped in blue velvet with a marble bar under a massive lighted globe on the 48th floor.
    Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
  • The massive crowd walked a little over a mile from downtown to the west side of Union Station, culminating in a huge gathering on the lawn of the National World War I Museum and Memorial.
    Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The shark’s slow movement may have allowed the octopus to stay latched on, but if the mako had picked up speed, the octopus likely would have been forced off.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Faster hard drives will tend to make more noise than slower ones.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Ted presents the judge with a different affidavit, this time the one the greasy journalist provided them, and informs the court of the DA’s dirty tricks to strong-arm those papers.
    Ayan Artan, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2025
  • The plastic sleeve also helps keep the beloved pieces of paper from being further damaged by greasy fingers and water droplets.
    Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • There are so many moments of hazy slow-motion, of dramatic music, the constant shallow depth-of-field camera work.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • The recent Hubble image, which was shared online on March 17, also captures a nebula that casts a hazy blue-greenish shadow over part of the star cluster.
    Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Donald Trump defended his harsh new tariffs on Saturday Night Live this week — and maybe took a swipe at last week’s musical guest, too.
    Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 5 Apr. 2025
  • When the father tried to explain himself, the women criticized him for being too harsh.
    Ashley Vega, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • This alarming probability briefly landed the asteroid atop impact risk lists maintained by NASA and the European Space Agency, triggering planetary defense discussions and prompting intensive follow-up observations to refine the object's trajectory.
    Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • If the proposal gets legislative approval in Healey’s roughly $62 billion budget request, the Bay State would lose its only intensive residential treatment program for children between the ages of 6 and 12 who are suffering from suicidal and/or homicidal ideations or other complex needs.
    Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The most serious charge carries up to 10 years in prison, while the others have a five-year maximum term.
    Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Age restrictions could impact the positives that social media brings, and still fall short of solving its more serious issues.
    Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • There are very big match-ups being played week in and week out in what is one of the most difficult leagues to play in on the planet, this means the big contenders will drop points more often than in some other leagues.
    Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Generations of design successors have insisted that pie charts are difficult to read and even amount to optical informatic illusions, but we are still stuck with them.
    Mara Mills, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Heavy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavy. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.

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