heavy means having great weight.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, heavy ranks #7,152 of 14,445 for Most Beautiful Words, #7,181 of 14,451 for Most Whimsical Words, #7,510 of 14,448 for Funniest Words, #11,074 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words.
heavy is pronounced /ˈhɛv.i/.
Why “heavy” is a great word
Having great weight; also, serious or somber in character. From Middle English hevy, from Old English hefiġ ("heavy, weighty; grave, serious"), from Proto-West Germanic *habīg, from Proto-Germanic *habīgaz ("heavy, weighty"), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- ("to take, hold"). Unlike "ponderous," which suggests a clumsy, labored quality, or "grave," which implies solemn dignity, "heavy" retains the primal link between the physical and the emotional forged in its ancient root. It is the dense pull of a river stone, the sodden wool of a winter coat, the leaden silence after difficult news—the fundamental burden of what must be borne or endured.
Etymology
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.
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”), Latin capāx (“large, wide, roomy, spacious, capacious, capable, a
adj
- Having great weight.e.g.“Can you help me carry this? It's really heavy.”
- Having great weight.; Heavyset: overweight.e.g.“When he was a child he was rather heavy, but today he is impressively fit.”
- Serious, somber.
- Not easy to bear; burdensome; oppressive.e.g.“heavy yokes, expenses, undertakings, trials, news, etc.”
- Good.e.g.“This film is heavy.”
- Profound.e.g.“The Moody Blues are, like, heavy.”
- High, great.e.g.“1998, Stanley George Clayton, ""Menstruation" in Encyclopedia Britannica
The ovarian response to gonadotropic hormones may be erratic at first, so that irregular or heavy bleeding sometimes occurs”
- Armed.e.g.“Come heavy, or not at all.”
- Loud, distorted, or intense.e.g.“Metal is heavier than rock.”
- Hot and humid.
- Doing the specified activity more intensely than most other people.e.g.“This car is too heavy on gas.”
- With eyelids difficult to keep open due to tiredness.e.g.“Watch for the signs of fatigue, including yawning, blinking and heavy eyes.”
- High in fat or protein; difficult to digest.e.g.“Cheese-stuffed sausage is too heavy to eat before exercising.”
- Of great force, power, or intensity; deep or intense.e.g.“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.e.g.“his eyes were heavy with sleep; she was heavy with child”
- Having the heaves.e.g.“a heavy horse”
adv
- In a heavy manner; weightily; heavily; gravely.e.g.“Heavy-laden with their sins, time hung heavy”
- To a great degree; greatly.e.g.“Olive: What was it - booze? Barney: Yeh. Been hitting it pretty heavy.”
- very
noun
- A villain or bad guy; the one responsible for evil or aggressive acts.e.g.“With his wrinkled, uneven face, the actor always seemed to play the heavy in films.”
- A doorman, bouncer or bodyguard.e.g.“A fight started outside the bar but the heavies came out and stopped it.”
- A prominent figure; a "major player".e.g.“A collection of topical themes and love songs, featuring session work by women's music "heavies" Holly Near, Mary Watkins, Linda Tillery, Robin Flower, and others.”
- A newspaper of the quality press.e.g.“The comment may be offered here that the 'heavies' have been the Design Award's principal scorers, both in the overall bronze plaque days and, since, in the Daily/Sunday Class 1.”
- A relatively large multi-engined aircraft.e.g.“I read five heavies, maybe transports or tankers...could be bombers.”
- A serious theatrical role.
- A member of the heavy cavalry.e.g.“Cavalry […] is divided into mediums, heavies, and light cavalry. The mediums consist of 13 regiments; the heavies of 2 regiments; and the light of 13.”
verb
- To make heavier.e.g.“They piled their goods on the donkey's back, heavying up an already backbreaking load.”
- To sadden.
- To use power or wealth to exert influence on, e.g., governments or corporations; to pressure.e.g.“The union was well known for the methods it used to heavy many businesses.”
Words closest in meaning
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