heavies

noun

plural of heavy
1
as in villains
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person he played the heavy in film after film until being cast against type as the romantic lead in a comedy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in heavyweights
one of high position or importance within a group in the field of secondary education, she definitely ranks as one of the heavies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heavies In any year, in any culture, there are no antagonists (save for Nazis) better suited as action cinema heavies; rooting against child trafficking lowlifes is moral, easy, and best of all, a completely guiltless pleasure. — Andy Crump, IndieWire, 15 June 2026 However, on season 2 of Twin Peaks, the actress played Miss Jones, the right-hand woman for one of the series' heavies, Thomas Eckhardt (the late David Warner). — Drew MacKie, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026 Specifically, Alioto sought to reimagine the magazine as a many-pronged vehicle for promising tastes—like those of regular contributors and critical heavies, Grace Byron and Greta Rainbow. — Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026 The Paramount executive also became president of the American Motion Picture Association (precursor to the MPA) in 1925, beating out the likes of Marcus Loew, Lasky, William Fox, Hays, Sam Rothafel, Sam Katz, Carl Laemmle, Joseph Schenck, and other Hollywood heavies. — Chris Yogerst, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026 Kier’s American career centered around playing heavies. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025 In February, Mayor Harrell, at the behest of local heavies such as Amazon and Microsoft, led the opposition to a referendum on another tax on those companies which would help pay for public, mixed-income housing in a city that desperately needs it. — Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025 Well, there’s essentially two groups within the rare element family, lights and heavies. — IEEE Spectrum, 7 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavies
  1. villains
  2. heavyweights
  3. brutes
  4. bigs
  5. monsters
  6. wheels
  7. criminals
  8. offenders
Noun
  • Still, bonus points for casting Chukwudi Iwuji as the menacing High Evolutionary, one of the oddest and most unsettling Marvel villains in recent memory.
    — EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
  • This trend suggests a need for new, effective villains to balance the roster.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of villains
Noun
  • Last month, technology heavyweights such as Microsoft, Palantir and Nvidia signed a letter urging policymakers to avoid restricting open-weight models and suppressing competition.
    — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The upbeat results lifted global tech stocks, including major gains for Asian heavyweights.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of heavyweights
Noun
  • These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.
    — Keith Sutton, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2026
  • In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-​skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-​skinned developing world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of brutes
Noun
  • That gives Okot more opportunities to develop alongside the second unit with Naz Hillmon while learning to play alongside both veteran bigs.
    — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 28 July 2026
  • Jones, youngsters shine Score one for the bigs — after a decade-long drought of All-Star MVPs, frontcourt players have won back-to-back.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of bigs
Noun
  • But Kova is shocked to discover her sweetheart taking up with someone new, who may be linked to the monsters dragging Stormwatch’s inhabitants into the ocean.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Aug. 2026
  • For additional context, the war against the Locust kicks off only a few weeks after the 79-year conflict between human factions known as the Pendulum Wars, which explains why the COG wasn't in the best of conditions when the monsters attacked.
    — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of monsters
Noun
  • That includes carbon-ceramic brakes, standard Magnetic Ride Control suspension, and even optional carbon fiber wheels, all wrapped by the widebody shape that gives the Grand Sport and Grand Sport X a more aggressive look than the base Stingray.
    — Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Automobile horns echoed here and there in the distance, and as the government railway train departed the station under the bridge, a string of small lights heralded the far-off clacking of its wheels.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of wheels
Noun
  • That gives criminals several ways to target you, even when your Paidwork balance was nearly empty.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Cyber criminals are using highly convincing counterfeit audio, video, and identity fabrications as tools in ways that conventional detection methods will fail to identify.
    — Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of criminals
Noun
  • Sehnaoui's meeting with the Israeli leader occurred as some in Lebanon have called for abolishing a 1955 law that bans dealing with Israel or having contacts with Israelis and punishes offenders with up to 10 years in jail.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
  • The current penalty for disclosure violations is $200 for first-time offenders.
    — Justin Papp, CNBC, 22 July 2026
Definition of offenders

Browse Nearby Words

heaves
heavies
heavily
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heavies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavies. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All