of great weight; hard to lift or carry: a heavy load.
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.
6.
of major import; grave; serious: a heavy offense.
7.
deep or intense; profound: a heavy thinker; heavy slumber.
8.
Military.
a.
thickly armed or equipped with guns of large size. Compare heavy cruiser.
b.
(of guns) of the more powerful sizes: heavy weapons. Compare heavy artillery.
9.
hard to bear; burdensome; harsh; oppressive: heavy taxes.
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.
16.
without vivacity or interest; ponderous; dull: a heavy style.
17.
slow in movement or action; clumsy: a heavy walk.
18.
loud and deep; sonorous: a heavy sound.
19.
(of the sky) overcast or cloudy.
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 pertaining 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.
a.
very good; excellent.
b.
very serious or important: a really heavy relationship.
[Origin: bef. 900; ME hevi, OE hefig, equiv. to hef(e) weight (akin to heave) + -ig-y1]
—Related forms
heav·i·ness, noun
—Synonyms 1. ponderous, massive, weighty. 5. dense. 9. onerous, grievous, cumbersome; difficult, severe. 14.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. 15. gloomy, mournful, dejected, despondent, downcast, downhearted. 16. tedious, tiresome, wearisome, burdensome, boring. 17. sluggish, lumbering. 19. lowering, gloomy.
Having relatively high density; having a high specific gravity.
Large, as in number or quantity: a heavy turnout; heavy casualties.
Large in yield or output: heavy rainfall.
Having great power or force: a heavy punch.
Violent; rough: heavy seas.
Equipped with massive armaments and weapons: a heavy cruiser; heavy infantry.
Large enough to fire powerful shells: heavy guns.
Indulging to a great degree: a heavy drinker.
Involved or participating on a large scale: a heavy investor.
Having considerable thickness: a heavy coat.
Broad or coarse: drew the face with heavy lines.
Dense; thick: a heavy fog.
Slow to dissipate; strong: "There was a heavy fragrance of flowers and lemon trees"(Mario Puzo).
Too dense or rich to digest easily: a heavy dessert.
Insufficiently leavened: heavy bread.
Full of clay and readily saturated: heavy soil.
Weighed down; burdened: trees heavy with plums.
Emotionally weighed down; despondent: a heavy heart.
Marked by or exhibiting weariness: heavy lids.
Sad or painful: heavy news.
Hard to do or accomplish; arduous: heavy going; heavy reading.
Not easily borne; oppressive: heavy taxes.
Of great significance or profundity.
Very popular or important: a rock star who is really heavy.
Of great intensity: heavy activity; heavy fighting.
Having great power or force: a heavy punch.
Violent; rough: heavy seas.
Equipped with massive armaments and weapons: a heavy cruiser; heavy infantry.
Large enough to fire powerful shells: heavy guns.
Indulging to a great degree: a heavy drinker.
Involved or participating on a large scale: a heavy investor.
Having considerable thickness: a heavy coat.
Broad or coarse: drew the face with heavy lines.
Dense; thick: a heavy fog.
Slow to dissipate; strong: "There was a heavy fragrance of flowers and lemon trees"(Mario Puzo).
Too dense or rich to digest easily: a heavy dessert.
Insufficiently leavened: heavy bread.
Full of clay and readily saturated: heavy soil.
Weighed down; burdened: trees heavy with plums.
Emotionally weighed down; despondent: a heavy heart.
Marked by or exhibiting weariness: heavy lids.
Sad or painful: heavy news.
Hard to do or accomplish; arduous: heavy going; heavy reading.
Not easily borne; oppressive: heavy taxes.
Of great significance or profundity.
Very popular or important: a rock star who is really heavy.
Equipped with massive armaments and weapons: a heavy cruiser; heavy infantry.
Large enough to fire powerful shells: heavy guns.
Indulging to a great degree: a heavy drinker.
Involved or participating on a large scale: a heavy investor.
Having considerable thickness: a heavy coat.
Broad or coarse: drew the face with heavy lines.
Dense; thick: a heavy fog.
Slow to dissipate; strong: "There was a heavy fragrance of flowers and lemon trees"(Mario Puzo).
Too dense or rich to digest easily: a heavy dessert.
Insufficiently leavened: heavy bread.
Full of clay and readily saturated: heavy soil.
Weighed down; burdened: trees heavy with plums.
Emotionally weighed down; despondent: a heavy heart.
Marked by or exhibiting weariness: heavy lids.
Sad or painful: heavy news.
Hard to do or accomplish; arduous: heavy going; heavy reading.
Not easily borne; oppressive: heavy taxes.
Of great significance or profundity.
Very popular or important: a rock star who is really heavy.
Indulging to a great degree: a heavy drinker.
Involved or participating on a large scale: a heavy investor.
Having considerable thickness: a heavy coat.
Broad or coarse: drew the face with heavy lines.
Dense; thick: a heavy fog.
Slow to dissipate; strong: "There was a heavy fragrance of flowers and lemon trees"(Mario Puzo).
Too dense or rich to digest easily: a heavy dessert.
Insufficiently leavened: heavy bread.
Full of clay and readily saturated: heavy soil.
Weighed down; burdened: trees heavy with plums.
Emotionally weighed down; despondent: a heavy heart.
Marked by or exhibiting weariness: heavy lids.
Sad or painful: heavy news.
Hard to do or accomplish; arduous: heavy going; heavy reading.
Not easily borne; oppressive: heavy taxes.
Of great significance or profundity.
Very popular or important: a rock star who is really heavy.
Of great import or seriousness; grave: heavy matters of state.
Having considerable thickness: a heavy coat.
Broad or coarse: drew the face with heavy lines.
Dense; thick: a heavy fog.
Slow to dissipate; strong: "There was a heavy fragrance of flowers and lemon trees"(Mario Puzo).
Too dense or rich to digest easily: a heavy dessert.
Insufficiently leavened: heavy bread.
Full of clay and readily saturated: heavy soil.
Weighed down; burdened: trees heavy with plums.
Emotionally weighed down; despondent: a heavy heart.
Marked by or exhibiting weariness: heavy lids.
Sad or painful: heavy news.
Hard to do or accomplish; arduous: heavy going; heavy reading.
Not easily borne; oppressive: heavy taxes.
Of great significance or profundity.
Very popular or important: a rock star who is really heavy.
Dense; thick: a heavy fog.
Slow to dissipate; strong: "There was a heavy fragrance of flowers and lemon trees"(Mario Puzo).
Too dense or rich to digest easily: a heavy dessert.
Insufficiently leavened: heavy bread.
Full of clay and readily saturated: heavy soil.
Weighed down; burdened: trees heavy with plums.
Emotionally weighed down; despondent: a heavy heart.
Marked by or exhibiting weariness: heavy lids.
Sad or painful: heavy news.
Hard to do or accomplish; arduous: heavy going; heavy reading.
Not easily borne; oppressive: heavy taxes.
Of great significance or profundity.
Very popular or important: a rock star who is really heavy.
Weighed down; burdened: trees heavy with plums.
Emotionally weighed down; despondent: a heavy heart.
Marked by or exhibiting weariness: heavy lids.
Sad or painful: heavy news.
Hard to do or accomplish; arduous: heavy going; heavy reading.
Not easily borne; oppressive: heavy taxes.
Of great significance or profundity.
Very popular or important: a rock star who is really heavy.
Hard to do or accomplish; arduous: heavy going; heavy reading.
Not easily borne; oppressive: heavy taxes.
Of great significance or profundity.
Very popular or important: a rock star who is really heavy.
Lacking vitality; deficient in vivacity or grace: a heavy gait; heavy humor.
Sharply inclined; steep: a heavy grade.
Having a large capacity or designed for rough work: a heavy truck.
Of, relating to, or involving the large-scale production of basic products, such as steel: heavy industry.
Of or relating to a serious dramatic role.
Physics Of or relating to an isotope with an atomic mass greater than the average mass of that element.
Loud; sonorous: a heavy sound; heavy breathing.
Linguistics Of, relating to, or being a syllable ending in a long vowel or in a vowel plus two consonants.
Slang
Of great significance or profundity.
Very popular or important: a rock star who is really heavy.
adv.
heav·i·er, heav·i·est
Heavily: The snow is falling heavier tonight than last night.
n.
pl.heav·ies
A serious or tragic role in a play.
An actor playing such a role.
Slang A villain in a story or play.
Slang A mobster.
Slang One that is very important or influential: a media heavy.
[Middle English hevi, from Old English hefig; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]
heav'i·ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean having a relatively great weight. Heavy refers to what has great physical weight (a heavy boulder) and figuratively to what is burdensome or oppressive to the spirit (heavy responsibilities). Weighty literally denotes having considerable weight (a weighty package); figuratively, it describes what is onerous, serious, or important (a weighty decision). Hefty refers principally to physical heaviness or brawniness: a hefty book; a tall, hefty wrestler. Massive describes what is bulky, heavy, solid, and strong: massive marble columns. Ponderous refers to what has great mass and weight and usually implies unwieldiness: ponderous prehistoric beasts.
Figuratively it describes what is complicated, involved, or lacking in grace: a book with a ponderous plot.
Something cumbersome is difficult to move, handle, or deal with because it is heavy, bulky, or clumsy: cumbersome luggage.
O.E. hefig, from P.Gmc. *khabigas (cf. O.N. hebig, O.N. hofugr), from *kafjanan and thus related to heave (q.v.). Theatrical (noun) sense of "villain" is 1880, from the adj. Jazz slang sense of "profound, serious" is from 1937. Heavy-handed was originally (1633) "weary" or "clumsy," sense of "overbearing" is first recorded 1883. Heavyweight is 1857, of horses, 1877 of fighters.
of comparatively great physical weight or density; "a heavy load"; "lead is a heavy metal"; "heavy mahogany furniture" [ant: light]
2.
unusually great in degree or quantity or number; "heavy taxes"; "a heavy fine"; "heavy casualties"; "heavy losses"; "heavy rain"; "heavy traffic" [ant: light]
3.
of the military or industry; using (or being) the heaviest and most powerful armaments or weapons or equipment; "heavy artillery"; "heavy infantry"; "a heavy cruiser"; "heavy guns"; "heavy industry involves large-scale production of basic products (such as steel) used by other industries" [ant: light]
4.
marked by great psychological weight; weighted down especially with sadness or troubles or weariness; "a heavy heart"; "a heavy schedule"; "heavy news"; "a heavy silence"; "heavy eyelids" [ant: light]
5.
usually describes a large person who is fat but has a large frame to carry it [syn: fleshy]
6.
(used of soil) compact and fine-grained; "the clayey soil was heavy and easily saturated" [syn: clayey]
7.
darkened by clouds; "a heavy sky"
8.
of great intensity or power or force; "a heavy blow"; "the fighting was heavy"; "heavy seas" [ant: light]
9.
(physics, chemistry) being or containing an isotope with greater than average atomic mass or weight; "heavy hydrogen"; "heavy water" [ant: light]
10.
(of an actor or role) being or playing the villain; "Iago is the heavy role in 'Othello'"
11.
permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter; "dense smoke"; "heavy fog"; "impenetrable gloom" [syn: dense]
12.
of relatively large extent and density; "a heavy line"
13.
made of fabric having considerable thickness; "a heavy coat"
full and loud and deep; "heavy sounds"; "a herald chosen for his sonorous voice"
16.
given to excessive indulgence of bodily appetites especially for intoxicating liquors; "a hard drinker" [syn: intemperate]
17.
of great gravity or crucial import; requiring serious thought; "grave responsibilities"; "faced a grave decision in a time of crisis"; "a grievous fault"; "heavy matters of state"; "the weighty matters to be discussed at the peace conference" [syn: grave]
18.
slow and laborious because of weight; "the heavy tread of tired troops"; "moved with a lumbering sag-bellied trot"; "ponderous prehistoric beasts"; "a ponderous yawn"
19.
large and powerful; especially designed for heavy loads or rough work; "a heavy truck"; "heavy machinery"
20.
dense or inadequately leavened and hence likely to cause distress in the alimentary canal; "a heavy pudding"
21.
sharply inclined; "a heavy grade"
22.
full of; bearing great weight; "trees heavy with fruit"; "vines weighed down with grapes"
23.
requiring or showing effort; "heavy breathing"; "the subject made for labored reading"
24.
characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort; "worked their arduous way up the mining valley"; "a grueling campaign"; "hard labor"; "heavy work"; "heavy going"; "spent many laborious hours on the project"; "set a punishing pace"
25.
lacking lightness or liveliness; "heavy humor"; "a leaden conversation"
26.
(of sleep) deep and complete; "a heavy sleep"; "fell into a profound sleep"; "a sound sleeper"; "deep wakeless sleep"
27.
in an advanced stage of pregnancy; "was big with child"; "was great with child" [syn: big]
adverb
1.
slowly as if burdened by much weight; "time hung heavy on their hands"
Heav"i*ly\, adv. [From 2d Heavy.]1. In a heavy manner; with great weight; as, to bear heavily on a thing; to be heavily loaded. Heavily interested in those schemes of emigration. --The Century. 2. As if burdened with a great weight; slowly and laboriously; with difficulty; hence, in a slow, difficult, or suffering manner; sorrowfully. And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily. --Ex. xiv. 25. Why looks your grace so heavily to-day? --Shak.
Heav"y\, a. [Compar. Heavier; superl. Heaviest.] [OE. hevi, AS. hefig, fr. hebban to lift, heave; akin to OHG. hebig, hevig, Icel. h["o]figr, h["o]fugr. See Heave.]1. Heaved or lifted with labor; not light; weighty; ponderous; as, a heavy stone; hence, sometimes, large in extent, quantity, or effects; as, a heavy fall of rain or snow; a heavy failure; heavy business transactions, etc.; often implying strength; as, a heavy barrier; also, difficult to move; as, a heavy draught. 2. Not easy to bear; burdensome; oppressive; hard to endure or accomplish; hence, grievous, afflictive; as, heavy yokes, expenses, undertakings, trials, news, etc. The hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod. --1 Sam. v. 6. The king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make. --Shak. Sent hither to impart the heavy news. --Wordsworth. Trust him not in matter of heavy consequence. --Shak. 3. Laden with that which is weighty; encumbered; burdened; bowed down, either with an actual burden, or with care, grief, pain, disappointment. The heavy [sorrowing] nobles all in council were. --Chapman. A light wife doth make a heavy husband. --Shak. 4. Slow; sluggish; inactive; or lifeless, dull, inanimate, stupid; as, a heavy gait, looks, manners, style, and the like; a heavy writer or book. Whilst the heavy plowman snores. --Shak. Of a heavy, dull, degenerate mind. --Dryden. Neither [is] his ear heavy, that it can not hear. --Is. lix. 1. 5. Strong; violent; forcible; as, a heavy sea, storm, cannonade, and the like. 6. Loud; deep; -- said of sound; as, heavy thunder. But, hark! that heavy sound breaks in once more. --Byron. 7. Dark with clouds, or ready to rain; gloomy; -- said of the sky. 8. Impeding motion; cloggy; clayey; -- said of earth; as, a heavy road, soil, and the like. 9. Not raised or made light; as, heavy bread. 10. Not agreeable to, or suitable for, the stomach; not easily digested; -- said of food. 11. Having much body or strength; -- said of wines, or other liquors. 12. With child; pregnant. [R.] Heavy artillery. (Mil.) (a) Guns of great weight or large caliber, esp. siege, garrison, and seacoast guns. (b) Troops which serve heavy guns. Heavy cavalry. See under Cavalry. Heavy fire (Mil.), a continuous or destructive cannonading, or discharge of small arms. Heavy metal (Mil.), large guns carrying balls of a large size; also, large balls for such guns. Heavy metals. (Chem.) See under Metal. Heavy weight, in wrestling, boxing, etc., a term applied to the heaviest of the classes into which contestants are divided. Cf. Feather weight (c), under Feather. Note: Heavy is used in composition to form many words which need no special explanation; as, heavy-built, heavy-browed, heavy-gaited, etc.
![[P]](http://cache.lexico.com/g/d/premium_mh.gif){kind=small}
Audio Help [hev-ee] Pronunciation Key adjective, heav·i·er, heav·i·est, noun, plural heav·ies, adverb 
