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heavy Definition

heavy (hev′ē)

adjective heav′i·er, heav′i·est

  1. hard to lift or move because of great weight; weighty
  2. of high specific gravity; of concentrated weight for the size
  3. above the usual or defined weight: said of goods, certain animals, etc.
  4. larger, greater, or more intense than usual or normal; specif.,
    1. falling or striking with great force or impact a heavy blow
    2. of greater than usual quantity a heavy vote
    3. violent and intense; rough a heavy sea
    4. loud, deep, and resounding heavy thunder
    5. thick, coarse, or massive heavy features
    6. going beyond the average; to a greater than usual extent a heavy drinker
    7. prolonged and intense heavy applause
    8. weighed down trees heavy with apples
  5. of great importance; serious; grave; profound a heavy responsibility
  6. hard to endure; oppressive; burdensome; distressing heavy taxes
  7. hard to do or manage; difficult heavy work
  8. grievous; lamentable heavy sorrow
  9. burdened with sorrow; depressed a heavy heart
  10. burdened with sleep or fatigue heavy eyelids
  11. capable of carrying a load of great weight a heavy truck
  12. characterized by density, hardness, fullness, etc. suggestive of weight; specif.,
    1. hard to digest a heavy meal
    2. not leavened properly; doughy a heavy cake
    3. remaining in the atmosphere; clinging; penetrating a heavy odor
    4. overcast; cloudy; gloomy; lowering a heavy sky
    5. hard to work with or travel over because of mud, sand, clay, etc. a heavy soil
  13. tedious, dull, or strained heavy humor
  14. clumsy; unwieldy; physically awkward a heavy gait
  15. ☆ steeply inclined a heavy grade
  16. designating any large industry that uses massive machinery and produces raw or processed materials, as steel, basic to other industries
  17. designating, of, or equipped with massive or relatively heavy weapons, armor, etc.
  18. Chem.
    1. designating an isotope of greater atomic weight than the normal or most abundant isotope
    2. designating a compound containing such isotopes
  19. Theater serious, tragic, or villainous
  20. Slang very serious or important and, often, depressing
  21. Slang excellent, important, serious, etc.

Etymology: ME hevi < OE hefig (akin to OHG hebig) < base of hebban (see heave) + -ig (see -y): prob. basic sense “containing something, full”

adverb heavier, heaviest

heavily: often in hyphenated compounds heavy-laden

noun pl. heav′·ies

  1. something heavy
  2. Theater
    1. a serious, tragic, or villainous role
    2. an actor who plays such roles
  3. Slang an influential or important person

heavy Idioms

hang heavy

to pass tediously; drag: said of time

heavy with child

pregnant

heavy Synonyms

heavy

modif.

  1. Weighty

    weighty, bulky, massive, cumbersome, unwieldy, ponderous, huge, overweight, top-heavy, of great weight, burdensome, portly, weighty, cumbrous, stout, big, hard to lift, hard to carry, dense, elephantine, fat, substantial, ample, corpulent, abundant, beefy*, hefty*, chunky*; see also large 1.

    Antonyms light*, buoyant*, feather-light.

  2. Viscous

    dense, viscid, syrupy; see thick 3.

  3. Burdensome

    troublesome, oppressive, vexatious; see difficult 1, disturbing, onerous 1.

  4. Dull

    listless, slow, apathetic; see dull 6, indifferent 1.

  5. Gloomy

    dejected, cloudy, overcast; see dark 1, dismal 1, sad 2.

  6. Difficult

    complicated, troublesome, knotty; see complex 2, confused 2, difficult 2, obscure 1.

  7. Soggy

    inedible, damp, sodden; see indigestible, wet 1.

heavy implies relatively great density, quantity, intensity, etc. and figuratively connotes a pressing down on the mind, spirits, or senses heavy water, heavy-hearted; weighty suggests heaviness as an absolute rather than a relative quality and figuratively connotes great importance or influence a weighty problem: ponderous applies to something that is very heavy because of size or bulk and figuratively connotes a labored or dull quality a ponderous dissertation; massive stresses largeness and solidity rather than heaviness and connotes an impressiveness due to great size massive structures; cumbersome implies a heaviness and bulkiness that makes for awkward handling and, in extended use, connotes unwieldiness cumbersome formalities

hang heavy

pass tediously, go slowly, be tedious; see drag 2.

heavy Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

super: The drum sound is also a big step up for us super heavy!

Modifies a noun

  • rain: Heavy rain can make a pond quickly overflow or be flooded out.
  • metal: I'm also a fan of good ' ol heavy metal.
  • rainfall: A heavy rainfall late in the day makes the coastal road the only viable route of advance.
  • burden: When I awoke I was surprised to find the heavy burden was gone.
  • load: You've given me a heavy load to deal with in one e-mail.
  • workload: In addition, this has added to the heavy workload of busy staff who have not felt empowered to move matters on.

Used with adjective complement

  • weigh: In the pocket of her shirt, the Tribute weighs heavy.
  • hang: Manderlay Rental and retail: Iraq hangs heavy over it.
  • lie: A bank of slate-grey cloud lying heavy over it.
  • feel: Actually when strapped to my belt and supported by my body it felt much less heavy than in the hand.
  • seem: But a cuirass and helmet seem heavy to an infantryman, perhaps seldom training with, or handling, arms.
  • become: Her breathing became heavy then, heavy then, heavy then.

Noun used with modifier

bit: Question: Isn't this all a bit heavy?

Infinitive complement

carry: Circumstances may be making you feel as if responsibilities are simply to heavy to carry by yourself any longer.

Modifying Another Word

  • too: Children over 8 stone in weight and too heavy to ride are taught to drive a small cart.
  • exceptionally: Oil bathed transmission and no belt concept linked with the exceptionally heavy duty construction makes expensive downtime a thing of the past.
  • fairly: It is said that the War Minister mentioned to the Prime Minister that such an action would result in fairly heavy British casualties.
  • extremely: All of the aircraft took a long time to leave the ground due to the extremely heavy loads.

Preposition: than

air: The vapor is slightly heavier than air, so it hovers close to the ground.