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as in influential
having power over the minds or behavior of others one of the weightiest figures in the field of pediatric medicine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective weighty differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of weighty are cumbersome, cumbrous, heavy, and ponderous. While all these words mean "having great weight," weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

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

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 can heavy be used instead of weighty?

In some situations, the words heavy and weighty are roughly equivalent. However, heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.

a heavy child for his age

When might ponderous be a better fit than weighty?

The synonyms ponderous and weighty are sometimes interchangeable, but ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

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 weighty Its aesthetic approach seldom lives up to its gestures toward camp as a guiding principle or its weighty themes (except, perhaps, in its surprisingly raucous final act). Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 June 2025 With his pair of documentaries, director and musician Questlove used Stone’s life story to probe weighty questions about Black genius and how it’s embraced, exploited and neglected by the culture. Rob Tannenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025 The longer Navi’s wheelbase stretched a full foot farther than that of the non-L ‘Gator, expanding cargo space behind the third row to a whopping 42.6 cubic feet — but also adding around 300 pounds of mass to an already weighty machine. Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 5 June 2025 This is a weighty topic that’s too extensive for this article. Dr. Eric George, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for weighty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weighty
Adjective
  • Make sure your plants are receiving enough water, and treat serious pest problems with neem oil or insecticidal soap.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 17 June 2025
  • Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2025
Adjective
  • Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year.
    Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 24 June 2025
  • But this year’s selection is particularly important for a Bulls team that (allegedly) hopes to begin a rebuilding process around younger talent after parting with most of its veterans over the last year.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • Energy Prices The war between Israel and Iran had evoked fears of a regional conflict that results in massive civilian casualties, and disrupts the flow of energy and other trade through the region.
    Sara Braun, Fortune, 22 June 2025
  • SpaceX's massive Starship exploded in a spectacular fiery blaze during a routine engine test in Texas – raising questions about what's next for Elon Musk's spaceflight company.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 21 June 2025
Adjective
  • In the procedural drama, Rodríguez brings to life a multi-layered and solemn character shaped by a traumatic childhood — abused within the foster care system, with no knowledge of his origins, and struggling with severe dyslexia.
    Veronica Villafañe, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • This protection -- known as the seal of confession -- is among the oldest and most solemn obligations in the Catholic Church, grounded in the Church’s teaching that, in the sacrament, penitents are confidentially confessing to and receiving forgiveness from God.
    Hiram Sasser, National Review, 15 June 2025
Adjective
  • Kennedy, who has a history of hostility toward vaccines and has promoted conspiracy theories, earlier this week took the unprecedented step of removing all 17 members of the influential Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP.
    Bruce Japsen, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
  • The movie charts the influential British rock group's origin story in the late 1960s, from their earliest days – and how everybody wasn't all about that now-iconic name – to their meteoric rise as one of the world's biggest bands.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Adjective
  • Pakistan has announced its nomination of President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, crediting him with averting a major conflict in South Asia at a time when the U.S. leader is contemplating intervention in the Middle East.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
  • The latest major example of this reliable horror subgenre shuffling (or in this case running) into theaters is 28 Years Later.
    James Grebey, Time, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • The June 14 parade, featuring heavy tanks and thousands of troops parading through the streets of Washington, marked the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which coincidentally fell on Trump’s 79th birthday.
    Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 16 June 2025
  • But behind the soaring choruses and poetic lyrics was a band — and a frontman — navigating the dizzying highs and heavy costs of fame.
    Brent Lang, Variety, 16 June 2025
Adjective
  • However, strikes between the two nations appeared to continue—leading to a stern rebuke from the president on Tuesday morning.
    Jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
  • Born in Philadelphia in October 1888, Breen shuttled between jobs in public relations, newspaper journalism, and the U.S. consular service, yet the connecting thread was always his deep, proud, stern Irish Catholicism.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Weighty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weighty. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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