heavy Meaning & Definition
What Does Heavy Mean?
Heavy is used as an adjective meaning Having great weight. It can also mean Heavyset: overweight. As an adverb, it means In a heavy manner; weightily; heavily; gravely. As a noun, it means A villain or bad guy; the one responsible for evil or aggressive acts.
Heavy: Key Facts
| Part of speech | adjective, adverb, noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈhɛv.i/ |
| Syllables | 2 |
| Synonyms | arduous, profound and sullen |
| Antonyms | light |
| Plural | heavies |
| Comparative / superlative | heavier, heaviest |
| Verb forms | heavies, heavying, heavied |
Heavy Definition (Adjective)
- Having great weight.
Can you help me carry this? It's really heavy.
- Heavyset: overweight.
When he was a child he was rather heavy, but today he is impressively fit.
- Serious, somber.
- Not easy to bear; burdensome; oppressive.
heavy yokes, expenses, undertakings, trials, news, etc.
- Good.
This film is heavy.
- Profound.
The Moody Blues are, like, heavy.
- High, great.
- Armed.
Come heavy, or not at all.
- Loud, distorted, or intense.
Metal is heavier than rock.
- Hot and humid.
- Doing the specified activity more intensely than most other people.
This car is too heavy on gas.
- With eyelids difficult to keep open due to tiredness.
- High in fat or protein; difficult to digest.
Cheese-stuffed sausage is too heavy to eat before exercising.
- Of great force, power, or intensity; deep or intense.
it was a heavy storm; a heavy slumber in bed; a heavy punch
- Laden with that which is weighty; encumbered; burdened; bowed down, either with an actual burden, or with grief, pain, disappointment, etc.
his eyes were heavy with sleep; she was heavy with child
- Slow; sluggish; inactive; or lifeless, dull, inanimate, stupid.
a heavy gait, looks, manners, style, etc.
- Impeding motion; cloggy; clayey.
a heavy road; a heavy soil
- Not raised or leavened.
heavy bread
- Having much body or strength.
- With child; pregnant.
- Containing one or more isotopes that are heavier than the normal one.
heavy water
- Of petroleum, having high viscosity.
- Of a market: in which the price of shares is declining.
- Heavily-armed.
- Having a relatively high takeoff weight and payload. Having a maximum takeoff weight exceeding 300,000 pounds, as almost all widebodies do, generating high wake turbulence.
- Having a maximum takeoff weight exceeding 300,000 pounds, as almost all widebodies do, generating high wake turbulence.
Heavy as an Adverb
- In a heavy manner; weightily; heavily; gravely.
Heavy-laden with their sins, time hung heavy
- To a great degree; greatly.
- very
Heavy as a Noun
- A villain or bad guy; the one responsible for evil or aggressive acts.
With his wrinkled, uneven face, the actor always seemed to play the heavy in films.
- A doorman, bouncer or bodyguard.
A fight started outside the bar but the heavies came out and stopped it.
- A prominent figure; a "major player".
- A newspaper of the quality press.
- A relatively large multi-engined aircraft.
- A serious theatrical role.
- A member of the heavy cavalry.
- Large breasts.
Heavy as a Verb
- To make heavier.
They piled their goods on the donkey's back, heavying up an already backbreaking load.
- To sadden.
The tragic event heavied the hearts of many onlookers.
- To use power or wealth to exert influence on, e.g., governments or corporations; to pressure.
The union was well known for the methods it used to heavy many businesses.
Adjective
- Having the heaves.
a heavy horse
Noun
- A large multi-engined aircraft. (The term heavy normally follows the call-sign when used by air traffic controllers.)
Verb
- (often with "up") To make heavier.
- To use power and/or wealth to exert influence on, e.g., governments or corporations; to pressure.
The union was well known for the methods it used to heavy many businesses.
Adjective
- (of a physical object) Having great weight.
- (of a topic) Serious, somber.
- (late 1960s, 1970s) Profound.
The Moody Blues are, like, heavy.
- (of a rate of flow) High, great.
- Louder, more distorted.
Metal is heavier than swing.
- (of weather) Hot and humid.
- (of a person) Doing the specified activity more intensely than most other people.
He was a heavy sleeper, a heavy eater and a heavy smoker – certainly not an ideal husband.
- (of food) High in fat or protein; difficult to digest.
Cheese-stuffed sausage is too heavy to eat before exercising.
- Laden to a great extent.
his eyes were heavy with sleep; she was heavy with child
- (of wines or spirits) Having much body or strength.
- (petroleum) with high viscosity
Synonyms of Heavy
Antonyms of Heavy
Heavy in a Sentence
Can you help me carry this? It's really heavy.
Use the scales to measure how heavy it is.
When he was a child he was rather heavy, but today he is impressively fit.
heavy yokes, expenses, undertakings, trials, news, etc.
This film is heavy.
The Moody Blues are, like, heavy.
Come heavy, or not at all.
Metal is heavier than rock.
This car is too heavy on gas.
He was a heavy sleeper, a heavy eater and a heavy smoker – certainly not an ideal husband.
Cheese-stuffed sausage is too heavy to eat before exercising.
it was a heavy storm; a heavy slumber in bed; a heavy punch
his eyes were heavy with sleep; she was heavy with child
a heavy gait, looks, manners, style, etc.
a heavy writer or book
a heavy road; a heavy soil
heavy bread
heavy water
Heavy-laden with their sins, time hung heavy
With his wrinkled, uneven face, the actor always seemed to play the heavy in films.
A fight started outside the bar but the heavies came out and stopped it.
They piled their goods on the donkey's back, heavying up an already backbreaking load.
The tragic event heavied the hearts of many onlookers.
The union was well known for the methods it used to heavy many businesses.
a heavy horse
Metal is heavier than swing.
heavy laden with their sins
Word Forms & Grammar
heavy (comparative heavier, superlative heaviest)
heavy (comparative more heavy, superlative most heavy)
heavy (plural heavies or heavys)
heavy (third-person singular simple present heavies, present participle heavying, simple past and past participle heavied)
Words That Rhyme With Heavy
Origin of Heavy
Origin 1: From Middle English hevy, heviȝ, from Old English hefiġ, hefeġ, hæfiġ (“heavy; important, grave, severe, serious; oppressive, grievous; slow, dull”), from Proto-West Germanic *habīg (“heavy, hefty, weighty”), from Proto-Germanic *habīgaz (“heavy, hefty, weighty”), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to take, grasp, hold”). Equivalent to heave + -y. Related to have.
Origin 2: Cognate with Scots hevy, havy, heavy (“heavy”), Saterland Frisian heeuwich, häwich (“violent, angry”), West Frisian hevich (“violent”), Dutch hevig (“violent, severe, intense, acute”), German Low German hevig (“violent, fierce, intense, angry”), German hebig (compare heftig (“fierce, severe, intense, violent, heavy”)), Icelandic höfugur (“heavy, weighty, important”).
Origin 3: Compare typologically Russian взять (vzjatʹ), объёмный (obʺjómnyj), ёмкий (jómkij, akin to име́ть (imétʹ)), and Latin capāx (“large, wide, roomy, spacious, capacious, capable, apt”).
Origin 4: From heave + -y.
Heavy Pronunciation
The standard pronunciation of heavy is /ˈhɛv.i/, spoken in 2 syllables, with the main stress on the first syllable (hɛv).
Heavy: Your Questions Answered
Is heavy an adjective or an adverb?
Heavy is mainly used as an adjective, but it can also be used as an adverb, a noun and a verb.
What is another word for heavy?
Close synonyms of heavy are arduous, profound and sullen. See the full list of heavy synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of heavy?
The opposite of heavy is light.
What is the plural of heavy?
The plural of heavy is heavies.
What is the past tense of heavy?
The past tense of heavy is heavied. The present participle is heavying.