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

After that 12-day war in June, Tehran was left with little negotiating leverage, its nuclear facilities heavily damaged, its proxies nearly neutralized and its economy in tatters. —Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026

While battling Houthi rebels in Yemen, the Navy relied heavily on Tomahawk cruise missiles, which were also used against Iran this weekend. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026

When a district is drawn to heavily favor one party, the general election becomes a formality, and the real contest shifts to a low-turnout primary. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026

The Superfund designation mandates clean-up of areas heavily contaminated with hazardous waste. —Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 1 Mar. 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