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 Finally, ETFs in the U.S. have seen strong uptake from retail investors, which make up 70% of investors and are more likely to drive weighty valuations for growth stocks. Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2023 Unlike the 1998 show, whose core was the National Gallery’s huge Rothko holdings and the children’s personal collections, here in Paris the curators have borrowed some of the weightiest works of MoMA and the Menil, Yale and Stanford, SFMOMA and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Jason Farago, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023 This year, Spain’s weighty presence encompasses 15 features playing in competitive sections. Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 20 Oct. 2023 In other words, there are still weighty issues to be decided on the basis of the testimony and documentary evidence that both sides present. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2023 Meteorites, like the weighty one that slammed into Saint-Séverin, can contain precious metals and debris from the farthest reaches of our galaxy—geologic clues to how our own planet formed. Andrew Zaleski, Popular Mechanics, 22 Aug. 2023 And the films in question are weighty features, ones that grapple with humanity’s propensity for violence, selfishness, and revenge. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Oct. 2023 Playing for so much and knowing that millions of people look to her to find inspiration is a weighty responsibility, indeed. David Waldstein, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023 Barbie, which Gerwig wrote with her partner, Noah Baumbach, can be unexpectedly weighty. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 25 July 2023 See More

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 28 Nov. 2023.

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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