heavy

[hev-ee]

adjective

heavier, heaviest 

1. of great weight; hard to lift or carry.

   a heavy load.

   Synonyms: weighty, massive, ponderous

2. of great amount, quantity, or size; extremely large; massive.

   a heavy vote; a heavy snowfall.

3. of great force, intensity, turbulence, etc..

   a heavy sea.

4. of more than the usual or average weight.

   a heavy person; heavy freight.

5. having much weight in proportion to bulk; being of high specific gravity.

   a heavy metal.

   Synonyms: dense

6. of major import; grave; serious.

   a heavy offense.

7. deep or intense; profound.

   a heavy thinker;

   heavy slumber.

8. Military.

   1. thickly armed or equipped with guns of large size.

   2. (of guns) of the more powerful sizes.

      heavy weapons.

9. hard to bear; burdensome; harsh; oppressive.

   heavy taxes.

   Synonyms: difficult, cumbersome, grievous, onerous, severe

10. hard to cope with; trying; difficult.

    a heavy task.

11. being as indicated to an unusually great degree.

    a heavy buyer.

12. broad, thick, or coarse; not delicate.

    heavy lines drawn in charcoal.

13. weighted or laden.

    air heavy with moisture.

14. fraught; loaded; charged.

    words heavy with meaning.

15. depressed with trouble or sorrow; showing sorrow; sad.

    a heavy heart.

    Synonyms: downhearted, downcast, despondent, dejected, mournful, gloomy

16. without vivacity or interest; ponderous; dull.

    a heavy style.

    Synonyms: boring, burdensome, wearisome, tiresome, tedious

17. slow in movement or action; clumsy.

    a heavy walk.

    Synonyms: lumbering, sluggish

18. loud and deep; sonorous.

    a heavy sound.

19. (of the sky) overcast or cloudy.

    Synonyms: gloomy, lowering

20. exceptionally dense in substance; insufficiently raised or leavened; thick.

    heavy doughnuts.

21. (of food) not easily digested.

22. being in a state of advanced pregnancy; nearing childbirth.

    heavy with child;

    heavy with young.

23. having a large capacity, capable of doing rough work, or having a large output.

    a heavy truck.

24. producing or refining basic materials, as steel or coal, used in manufacturing.

    heavy industry.

25. sober, serious, or somber.

    a heavy part in a drama.

26. Chemistry.,  of or relating to an isotope of greater than normal atomic weight, as heavy hydrogen or heavy oxygen, or to a compound containing such an element, as heavy water.

27. Slang.

    1. very good; excellent.

    2. very serious or important.

       a really heavy relationship.

28. Phonetics.,  (of a syllable)

    1. stressed.

    2. long.

noun

plural

heavies 

1. a somber or ennobled theatrical role or character.

   Iago is the heavy in Othello.

2. the theatrical role of a villain.

3. an actor who plays a theatrical heavy.

4. Military.,  a gun of great weight or large caliber.

5. Slang.,  a very important or influential person.

   a reception for government heavies.

adverb

1. heavily.

heavy

/ ˈhɛvɪ /

adjective

1. of comparatively great weight

   a heavy stone

2. having a relatively high density

   lead is a heavy metal

3. great in yield, quality, or quantity

   heavy rain

   heavy traffic

4. great or considerable

   heavy emphasis

5. hard to bear, accomplish, or fulfil

   heavy demands

6. sad or dejected in spirit or mood

   heavy at heart

7. coarse or broad

   a heavy line

   heavy features

8. (of soil) having a high clay content; cloggy

9. solid or fat

   heavy legs

10. (of an industry) engaged in the large-scale complex manufacture of capital goods or extraction of raw materials Compare light 2

11. serious; grave

12. military

    1. armed or equipped with large weapons, armour, etc

    2. (of guns, etc) of a large and powerful type

13. (of a syllable) having stress or accentuation Compare light 2

14. dull and uninteresting

    a heavy style

15. prodigious

    a heavy drinker

16. (of cakes, bread, etc) insufficiently leavened

17. deep and loud

    a heavy thud

18. 1. dramatic and powerful; grandiose

    2. not immediately comprehensible or appealing

19. slang

    1. unpleasant or tedious

    2. wonderful

    3. (of rock music) having a powerful beat; hard

20. weighted; burdened

    heavy with child

21. clumsy and slow

    heavy going

22. permeating

    a heavy smell

23. cloudy or overcast, esp threatening rain

    heavy skies

24. not easily digestible

    a heavy meal

25. (of an element or compound) being or containing an isotope with greater atomic weight than that of the naturally occurring element

    heavy hydrogen

    heavy water

26. horse racing (of the going on a racecourse) soft and muddy

27. slang,  using, or prepared to use, violence or brutality

    the heavy mob

28. informal,  using large quantities of

    this car is heavy on petrol

noun

1. 1. a villainous role

   2. an actor who plays such a part

2. military

   1. a large fleet unit, esp an aircraft carrier or battleship

   2. a large calibre or weighty piece of artillery

3. informal,  (usually plural) a serious newspaper

   the Sunday heavies

4. informal,  a heavyweight boxer, wrestler, etc

5. slang,  a man hired to threaten violence or deter others by his presence

6. strong bitter beer

adverb

1. 1. in a heavy manner; heavily

      time hangs heavy

   2. ( in combination )

      heavy-laden

Other Word Forms

• heaviness noun
• heavily adverb
• overheaviness noun
• overheavy adjective
• ultraheavy adjective
• unheaviness noun
• unheavy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of heavy¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English hevi, Old English hefig, equivalent to hef(e) “weight” + -ig; heave -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of heavy¹

Old English hefig; related to hebban to _heave , Old High German hebīg

Idioms and Phrases

• hot and heavy
• make heavy weather of
• play the heavy
• time hangs heavy

Synonym Study

Heavy, momentous, weighty refer to anything having a considerable amount of figurative weight. Heavy suggests the carrying of a figurative burden: words heavy with menace. Momentous emphasizes the idea of great and usually serious consequences: a momentous occasion, statement. Weighty, seldom used literally, refers to something heavy with importance, often concerned with public affairs, which may require deliberation and careful judgment: a weighty matter, problem.

Example Sentences

“We’re rebuilding and it’s heavy, but this has been something to look forward to, a place to make new friends.”

From Los Angeles Times

The fixes to the Sepulveda Pass, “a route that experiences heavy, continuous traffic while serving crucial commuter and commercial needs,” will improve safety for drivers, Caltrans said.

From Los Angeles Times

Mor Singh, 60, never went to school but his selfless act of handing over his house to the village school - after it was badly damaged due to heavy rains - has made him a local hero.

From BBC

Unlike her own style, Maeve dresses in dark colors with heavy, metallic jewelry and sports a shaggy mullet.

From Los Angeles Times

A year into the last parliament the Conservatives were narrowly ahead in the polls – only to crash to a heavy defeat in last summer's election.

From BBC

Related Words

• awkward 
• big 
• bulky 
• burdensome 
• considerable 
• cumbersome 
• excessive 
• fat 
• hefty 
• huge 
• large 
• massive 
• substantial 
• unwieldy 
• weighty