heavily

adverb

heavi·​ly ˈhe-və-lē 

1

: to a great degree : severely

The building was heavily damaged.

The decision weighs heavily on my mind. [=is very difficult and worrisome]

2

: slowly and laboriously : dully

sighed heavily

3

archaic : with sorrow : grievously

4

: in a heavy manner

sat down heavily

Synonyms of heavily

• extremely
• highly
• terribly
• very
• incredibly
• badly
• severely
• too
• so
• intensely
• greatly
• damned
• desperately
• really
• damn
• seriously
• wildly
• far
• much
• especially
• most

Examples of heavily in a Sentence

He relies heavily on his wife for advice.

These artists borrow heavily from Picasso.

Our flowers were heavily damaged by a late spring frost.

She drank and smoked heavily for years.

He sat down heavily on the couch.

He was leaning heavily on the table.

She sighed heavily then said “Okay, I'll do it.”

Recent Examples on the Web

Making his closing argument at London’s Southwark Crown Court before the jury is sent away to reach a verdict, Winter was heavily critical of the journalists behind the reporting. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026

Müller cautions, however, that those figures rest heavily on a handful of in-demand models. — Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2026

Unlike the close race for the Senate, polls say Democrats are heavily favored to win the House. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026

Democrats are heavily favored to retake power of the House and are leading in all the key states that would be the likeliest to decide which party will control of the Senate, according to a New York Times/Siena University poll released Sunday. — Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing heavily

• heavily armed

Rhymes for heavily

• evilly