weightier; weightiest
1
a
: of much importance or consequence : momentous
a weighty problem
b
: solemn
2
a
: weighing a considerable amount
b
: heavy in proportion to its bulk
weighty metal
3
: powerful, telling
weighty arguments
weightily adverb
weightiness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for weighty

heavy, weighty, ponderous, cumbrous, cumbersome mean having great weight.

heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.

a heavy child for his age

weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

cumbrous and cumbersome imply heaviness and bulkiness that make for difficulty in grasping, moving, carrying, or manipulating.

wrestled with the cumbrous furniture
early cameras were cumbersome and inconvenient

Examples of weighty in a Sentence

She grabbed a weighty book off the shelf. The film deals with some weighty issues. Those are weighty arguments in your favor. He was a weighty figure in the art world.
Recent Examples on the Web And if Trump can win McConnell's backing, despite a deep rift between the two men and their approach to leading the GOP — along with weighty personal grievances — little stands between Trump and total sway over the party. Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024 Its cumulative stands at a weighty $458 million (RMB3.25 billion). Patrick Frater, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 From early on, a crew of theorists, Craig Owens, Douglas Crimp, and Laura Mulvey among them, canonized Sherman as a brow-furrowing, super-serious artist, making work about weighty postmodern concerns. Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2024 Yet even once those facts were laid bare, exposing the second murders as payback for the first, the weighty spiritualism and surreal imagery hung over the revelations unveiled in the last 15 minutes. Brian Lowry, CNN, 18 Feb. 2024 The weighty role earned her three Lead Actress nominations at the Emmys, and one win. Shania Russell, EW.com, 12 Oct. 2023 The original series was the rare children’s cartoon that touched on weighty topics such as war, genocide and imperialism within a fantasy coming-of-age story of a young hero destined to save the world. Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024 Those hydraulic connections eliminate any need for weighty anti-roll bars, and almost magically suppress body roll, pitch, and dive. Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2024 Bruyneel will be joining a weighty Flemish delegation attending TV Drama Vision’s Focus on Flanders. Annika Pham, Variety, 26 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'weighty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of weighty was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near weighty

Cite this Entry

“Weighty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weighty. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

weighty

adjective
weightier; weightiest
1
: having much weight : heavy
2
a
: of much importance : serious
weighty problems
b
: showing seriousness : solemn
a weighty expression on her face
3
: having the power to influence or persuade
weighty arguments
weightily adverb
weightiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on weighty

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