weightier; weightiest
1
a
: of much importance or consequence : momentous
a weighty problem
b
: solemn
2
a
: weighing a considerable amount
b
: heavy in proportion to its bulk
weighty metal
3
: powerful, telling
weighty arguments
weightily adverb
weightiness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for weighty

heavy, weighty, ponderous, cumbrous, cumbersome mean having great weight.

heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.

a heavy child for his age

weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

cumbrous and cumbersome imply heaviness and bulkiness that make for difficulty in grasping, moving, carrying, or manipulating.

wrestled with the cumbrous furniture
early cameras were cumbersome and inconvenient

Examples of weighty in a Sentence

She grabbed a weighty book off the shelf. The film deals with some weighty issues. Those are weighty arguments in your favor. He was a weighty figure in the art world.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That beast of a grocery list coalesces in a smooth, profoundly flavorful sauce that cloaks two weighty pieces of fall-apart dark-meat chicken at Bugambilias ($19). Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 2 July 2025 Sitting alongside gray-haired Pentagon top brass, the 26-year-old Wang held forth on the U.S.-China AI arms race and other weighty topics. Jason Ma, Fortune, 22 June 2025 The American intervention came as a surprise—one that did some damage to the Indian prime minister, who has projected himself not only as a fierce advocate for India’s strategic interests but also as a global statesman deliberating on weighty geopolitical questions, such as the war in Ukraine. Vaibhav Vats, The Atlantic, 21 May 2025 The overall impression was one of an ensemble walking on eggshells: little spark, little levity, little variety, too much weighty reverence. Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for weighty

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of weighty was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Weighty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weighty. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

weighty

adjective
weightier; weightiest
1
: having much weight : heavy
2
a
: of much importance : serious
weighty problems
b
: showing seriousness : solemn
a weighty expression on her face
3
: having the power to influence or persuade
weighty arguments
weightily adverb
weightiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on weighty

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