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

Countries such as Japan and South Korea are heavily dependent on energy imports, and have been hammered by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. —Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 9 Mar. 2026

Unlike many gulf states that rely heavily on desalination, Iran still gets most of its water from rivers, reservoirs and depleted underground aquifers. —Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026

Import-dependent Asia, which leans heavily on the Middle East, is feeling the most immediate pain. —Yongchang Chin, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2026

After fires devastated the area, heavily damaging the school and the gym, the Palisades High School boys basketball team went 388 days between home games. —John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 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