hefty

adjective

ˈhef-tē 

heftier; heftiest

1

: quite heavy

a hefty book

2

a

: marked by bigness, bulk, and usually strength

a hefty football player

b

: powerful, mighty

gave the door a hefty shove

c

: impressively large : substantial

hefty portions

a hefty price

heftily

ˈhef-tə-lē 

adverb

heftiness

ˈhef-tē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of hefty

• massive
• heavy

Examples of hefty in a Sentence

He was a tall, hefty man.

Her boss gave her a hefty raise.

a hefty dose of irony

He gave the door a hefty kick.

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead of a conventional round watch scaled down for a smaller wrist, the new timepiece presents a polished, spherical case that’s engineered around a hefty mechanical movement, with a double-tour leather strap that can thread directly through. — Taylor Stoddard, Robb Report, 17 Sep. 2026

The person at the helm of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System got a hefty compensation increase Wednesday morning, as the agency’s board increased CEO Marcie Frost’s compensation. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Politico reported in 2024 that the small organization’s hefty war chest put it in the same league as organizational behemoths such as the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and the Brookings Institution. — Toluse Olorunnipa, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026

District leaders say the hefty budget gap is driven by declining enrollment, labor costs, inflation and the expiration of federal pandemic relief funds. — Beret Leone, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing hefty

• carries a hefty price tag
• hefty price tag

Rhymes for hefty

• lefty

Kids Definition

hefty

adjective

ˈhef-tē 

heftier; heftiest

: heavy entry 1 sense 1a, bulky

heftily

-tə-lē 

adverb

heftiness

-tē-nəs 

noun