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

So far this season, the Crimson Tide have struggled to run the football at a high level and have relied heavily on quarterback Ty Simpson to make plays week in and week out. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025

Saudi Arabia aims to attract 150 million tourists a year by 2030 and is investing heavily in developing hotels and entertainment attractions. —Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 22 Nov. 2025

For weeks, a Tennessee special election was flying under the radar in a heavily Republican congressional district. —Jonathan Mattise, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2025

Matney is a real reporter, and the show draws heavily from her reporting and perspective featured in her true-crime podcast. —Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 22 Nov. 2025

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