of great weight; hard to lift or carry:a heavy load.
of great amount, quantity, or size; extremely large; massive:a heavy vote; a heavy snowfall.
of great force, intensity, turbulence, etc.:a heavy sea.
of more than the usual or average weight:a heavy person; heavy freight.
Physicshaving much weight in proportion to bulk; being of high specific gravity:a heavy metal.
of major import; grave; serious:a heavy offense.
deep or intense; profound:a heavy thinker; heavy slumber.
Military
thickly armed or equipped with guns of large size. Cf. heavy cruiser.
(of guns) of the more powerful sizes:heavy weapons.Cf. heavy artillery.
hard to bear; burdensome; harsh; oppressive:heavy taxes.
hard to cope with; trying; difficult:a heavy task.
being as indicated to an unusually great degree:a heavy buyer.
broad, thick, or coarse; not delicate:heavy lines drawn in charcoal.
weighted or laden:air heavy with moisture.
fraught; loaded; charged:words heavy with meaning.
depressed with trouble or sorrow; showing sorrow; sad:a heavy heart.
without vivacity or interest; ponderous; dull:a heavy style.
slow in movement or action; clumsy:a heavy walk.
loud and deep; sonorous:a heavy sound.
(of the sky) overcast or cloudy.
exceptionally dense in substance; insufficiently raised or leavened; thick:heavy doughnuts.
(of food) not easily digested.
Medicinebeing in a state of advanced pregnancy; nearing childbirth:heavy with child; heavy with young.
having a large capacity, capable of doing rough work, or having a large output:a heavy truck.
producing or refining basic materials, as steel or coal, used in manufacturing:heavy industry.
sober, serious, or somber:a heavy part in a drama.
Chemistryof 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.
Slang Terms
very good; excellent.
very serious or important:a really heavy relationship.
Poetry[Pros.](of a syllable)
stressed.
long.
n.
Show Businessa somber or ennobled theatrical role or character:Iago is the heavy inOthello.
Show Businessthe theatrical role of a villain.
Show Businessan actor who plays a theatrical heavy.
Militarya gun of great weight or large caliber.
Slang Termsa very important or influential person:a reception for government heavies.
adv.
heavily.
Middle English hevi, Old English hefig, equivalent. to hef(e) weight (akin to heave) + -ig -y1 bef. 900
heav′i•ness, n.
1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged ponderous, massive, weighty.
5.See corresponding entry in Unabridged dense.
9.See corresponding entry in Unabridged onerous, grievous, cumbersome; difficult, severe.
14.See corresponding entry in UnabridgedHeavy,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.
having a relatively high density: lead is a heavy metal
great in yield, quality, or quantity: heavy rain, heavy traffic
great or considerable: heavy emphasis
hard to bear, accomplish, or fulfil: heavy demands
sad or dejected in spirit or mood: heavy at heart
coarse or broad: a heavy line, heavy features
(of soil) having a high clay content; cloggy
solid or fat: heavy legs
(of an industry) engaged in the large-scale complex manufacture of capital goods or extraction of raw materials Comparelight219
serious; grave
armed or equipped with large weapons, armour, etc
(of guns, etc) of a large and powerful type
(of a syllable) having stress or accentuation
dull and uninteresting: a heavy style
prodigious: a heavy drinker
(of cakes, bread, etc) insufficiently leavened
deep and loud: a heavy thud
(of music, literature, etc) dramatic and powerful; grandiose
not immediately comprehensible or appealing
unpleasant or tedious
wonderful
(of rock music) having a powerful beat; hard
weighted; burdened: heavy with child
clumsy and slow: heavy going
permeating: a heavy smell
cloudy or overcast, esp threatening rain: heavy skies
not easily digestible: a heavy meal
(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
(of the going on a racecourse) soft and muddy
using, or prepared to use, violence or brutality: the heavy mob
heavy on ⇒ using large quantities of: this car is heavy on petrol
(heavies)
a villainous role
an actor who plays such a part
a large fleet unit, esp an aircraft carrier or battleship
a large calibre or weighty piece of artillery
the heavies ⇒ (usually plural)a serious newspaper: the Sunday heavies
a heavyweight boxer, wrestler, etc
a strongly built person hired to threaten violence or intimidate others
strong bitter beer
in a heavy manner; heavily: time hangs heavy
(in combination): heavy-laden
Etymology: Old English hefig; related to hebban to heave, Old High German hebīgˈheavilyˈheaviness
'heavy load' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):