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

The winner of this GOP runoff will be heavily favored to win in November in a state where a Democrat has not won a Senate seat since Fritz Hollings’ re-election in 1998. — Josh Feldman, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2026

The Democratic Senate nominees in Nebraska, Idaho and South Dakota — all heavily Republican states — withdrew from the ballot after their primaries, clearing the field for independent candidates. — Ben Binday, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2026

Organizations routinely spend heavily to recruit, compensate, retain, and develop senior executives, yet the systems supporting their physical, emotional, and cognitive capacity are often far less sophisticated. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Trump has relied heavily on aircraft carriers to support military operations during his second term. — ABC News, 15 Aug. 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