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as in slow
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 & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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heavy

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective heavy differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of heavy are cumbersome, cumbrous, ponderous, and weighty. While all these words 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

How are the words cumbrous and cumbersome related as synonyms of heavy?

Both 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

When could ponderous be used to replace heavy?

The meanings of ponderous and heavy largely overlap; however, ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

Where would weighty be a reasonable alternative to heavy?

In some situations, the words weighty and heavy are roughly equivalent. However, weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of heavy
Adjective
What’s sorely missing, though, is a sense of danger in what is essentially a buddy movie with a lot of FX-heavy set pieces. Damon Wise, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025 Dow futures rose slightly Tuesday night, while futures tied to the tech-heavy Nasdaq slid, as investors continue to grapple with where megacap tech stocks head from here. Sarah Min, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
Of all the runway shows during Paris Fashion Week, no front row is as buzzy and celeb-heavy as Dior's. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 1 Oct. 2025 In February, Mayor Harrell, at the behest of local heavies such as Amazon and Microsoft, led the opposition to a referendum on another tax on those companies which would help pay for public, mixed-income housing in a city that desperately needs it. Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heavy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavy
Adjective
  • China has undertaken a massive expansion of sites linked to missile production since 2020, bolstering its ability to potentially deter the US military and assert its dominance in the region, a new CNN analysis of satellite images, maps and government notices reveals.
    Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • For Native people, the war marked a dangerous fork in the road, stirring famine, spurring a massive refugee crisis, and permanently shifting the balance of power in the heart of the continent.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Hoover finished 319 yards on 34-of-50 passing, but his two turnovers were critical mistakes that led to TCU’s slow start in the first half.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Nov. 2025
  • When visiting the exhibit, plan on taking your time to make the most of it, or what the American Federation of Arts calls slow looking.
    Susan B. Barnes, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • It’s blended with moisture-locking sunflower seed oil, white lupin flower extract to improve elasticity, and passionfruit oil for a hit of lightweight, never-greasy nourishment.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Run The Range Hood Hot air and steam carry oil droplets during cooking and deposit them, leaving behind a greasy residue on cabinets, walls, and other surfaces.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The kit, which comes in four colors—matte white, desert rose, matte black, and hazy blue—comes with a chawan (bowl) with a pouring spout, a naoshi (whisk stand), a chasen (bamboo whisk), a tea tray, a stainless-steel spoon, and a sifter.
    Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Lee performed two new songs early on during the set, both of which carried the hazy radio-skipping nostalgia of Diamond Jubilee.
    Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • There's a lot of harsh words and harsh things that get said about people.
    Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Applying it at the base of the plant before the first frost can protect the roots from harsh cold and keep the soil from freezing.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Between 2022 and 2023, a team from Arkeologerna conducted an intensive investigation in the southernmost area of the former city.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 9 Nov. 2025
  • The orbiters are expected to linger in a holding pattern before heading for Mars next year when the red planet is better aligned for a less fuel-intensive journey.
    Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • If Haaland isn’t my choice here, there should be serious consideration at The Athletic about sacking me.
    Andy Jones, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • As for the safety of the drug, about 10% of the adults taking enlicitide experienced serious adverse events during the study and a similar share, about 12%, of those taking a placebo experienced adverse events in the study.
    Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Jens generally chooses his words carefully, and is, what’s more, particularly reticent just after finishing a long and difficult winter delivery trip; what’s a person supposed to do with words in a blizzard anyway, up on a stormy heath and all directions lost?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
  • In his first start in the wake of Beau Pribula’s significant injury, Zollers walked into a difficult situation, and his stat line reflected it.
    Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 9 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Heavy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavy. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

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