heavy

1 having great weight <this trunk full of books is much too heavy for one person to lift> Synonyms hefty, massive, ponderous, weighty Related Words burdensome, leaden, lumpish; bulky, elephantine, massy, outsize (also outsized), voluminous; overweight, top-heavy; solid, substantial; ultraheavy Near Antonyms airy, ethereal, feathery, fluffy, gossamer, gossamery; flimsy, insubstantial, slight; lightweight, undersized (also undersize), underweight; ultralight, ultralightweight Antonyms light, weightless

2 causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest <the study of history doesn't have to be all about dull heavy reading and the memorization of dates> Synonyms arid, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, flat, boring, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monochromatic, monotonous, numbing, old, pedestrian, ponderous, slow, stale, stodgy, stuffy, stupid, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearyingRelated Words aseptic, barren, blah, dullish, pleasureless, prosaic, prosy, soggy, spiritless; blank, earthbound, gray (also grey), inanimate, pallid, pedantic, sterile, suspenseless, undramatic, uneventful, unexciting, unimaginative, uninspiring, unnewsworthy, unrewarding, unsensational, unspectacular; annoying, bothersome, irksome, irritating; longsome; palling; draining, enervating, exhausting, fatiguing, wearing; debilitating, enfeebling; demoralizing, discouraging, disheartening, dispiriting; common, commonplace, ordinary, tepid, unexceptional, unsurprising, vapid; cumbersome, lumbering, plodding, poky (or pokey)Near Antonyms amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, eye-opening, fabulous, marvelous (or marvellous), sensational, spectacular, surprising, wonderful, wondrous; animating, breathtaking, electrifying, energizing, enlivening, exciting, exhilarating, galvanizing, hair-raising, inspiring, invigorating, rip-roaring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling; amusing, diverting, entertaining; moving, poignant, touching; alluring, attracting, attractive, beguiling, bewitching, captivating, charming, enchanting, enthralling, entrancing, fascinating; mesmerizing, spellbinding; suspenseful; arresting, provocative, tantalizingAntonyms absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting

3 containing much seasoning, fat, or sugar <avoid heavy desserts like cheesecake and pecan pie> Synonyms richRelated Words buttery, fat, fatty, greasy, oily; caloric, calorific, fattening; cloying, oversweet; filling, overfilling, satiating, sating; spicy, sugary, sweet; creamy, saucedNear Antonyms natural, plain, simple; unseasoned; diet, nonfattening, slimming; nonfatAntonyms light, lite

4 covered over by clouds <heavy skies threatening rain> Synonyms beclouded, clouded, cloudy, dull, hazed, hazy, overcast, lowering (also louring), overcloudedRelated Words bedimmed, befogged, blackened, darkened, darksome, dim, dimmed, dulled, dusky, misty, murky, obscure, obscured, overshadowed; sunless; black, bleak, cheerless, dark, desolate, dismal, drear, dreary, funereal, gloomy, glum, gray (also grey), sepulchral, somber (or sombre), sullenNear Antonyms sunlit, sunny, sunshiny; brightened, brilliant, dazzling, illuminated, illumined, lit (or lighted), lightened, radiant, shinyAntonyms clear, cloudless

5 difficult to endure <ignoring common sense, she drank the parasite-infested pond water and paid a heavy penalty for it> Synonyms bitter, brutal, burdensome, cruel, excruciating, grievous, grim, hard, hardhanded, harsh, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, rugged, searing, severe, stiff, tough, tryingRelated Words austere, bleak, comfortless, discomforting, forbidding, inhospitable, spartan, uncomfortable; biting, inclement, intemperate, wild; rigorous, strict, stringent; agonizing, heartbreaking, heartrending, painful, wretched; crushing, grinding, overwhelming, wearing; insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable; harrowing, tortuous; bad, disagreeable, hostile, unfriendly, unpleasantNear Antonyms comfortable, cozy, luxurious, snug; agreeable, friendly, genial, hospitable, pleasant; peaceful, relaxing, reposeful, restful; bearable, endurable, painless, tolerable; balmy, calm, clement, gentle, mild, moderate, temperateAntonyms easy, light, soft

6 extreme in degree, power, or effect <heavy rains> <the heavy fighting has just begun, so there are no casualties to report> Synonyms acute, almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, excruciating, explosive, exquisite, fearful, fearsome, ferocious, fierce, frightful, furious, ghastly, hard, intense, heavy-duty, hellacious, intensive, keen, profound, terrible, vehement, vicious, violentRelated Words accentuated, aggravated, concentrated, deepened; emphasized, enhanced, heightened, intensified, magnified; stressed; exhaustive, thorough; harsh, rigorous, severeNear Antonyms feeble, weak; shallow, superficial; moderated, qualified; alleviated, eased, lightened, toned (down); abated, decreased, diminished, lessened, reduced, subduedAntonyms light, moderate, soft

7 having a matter of importance as its topic <got into a heavy discussion about death and the afterlife> Synonyms grave, serious, weightyRelated Words big, consequential, eventful, important, major, material, meaningful, momentous, portentous, significant, solid, substantialNear Antonyms frivolous, insignificant, lite, little, Mickey Mouse, minor, silly, slight, small, trivial, unimportantAntonyms light, unserious

8 requiring considerable physical or mental effort <until we find our groove, it's going to be heavy sledding on this project> Synonyms arduous, Augean, backbreaking, challenging, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting, formidable, grueling (or gruelling), hard, hellacious, herculean, killer, laborious, moiling, murderous, pick-and-shovel, rigorous, rough, rugged, severe, stiff, strenuous, sweaty, tall, testing, toilsome, tough, uphillRelated Words abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, elusive, hairy, insoluble, intricate, involved, knotty, opaque, problematic (also problematical), recondite, serious, spiny, stubborn, thorny, ticklish, tricky; bruising, burdensome, exhausting, labored, onerous, oppressive, stressful, taxing, tight, trying; annoying, bothersome, distressing, irksome, troublesome, vexatious; grievous, grim, strict, stringent; brutal, cruel, inhuman, painfulNear Antonyms achievable, clear, doable, elementary, manageable, uncomplicated; comforting, gentle, painless, relaxed, smooth, soothing; accessible, friendly, idiotproof, user-friendlyAntonyms cheap, easy, effortless, facile, light, mindless, simple, soft, undemanding