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

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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 Mehring’s characters include petty criminals, unscrupulous lawyers, Galician Jews, Freikorps heavies, local and international businessmen, Prussian generals, and the everyday citizens inhabiting the streets of Berlin’s old and rather dingy center. — Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026 The album also features cameos by heavies from Gojira, Lamb of God, Queens of the Stone Age, and Clutch. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026 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 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
  • Directed by Grammy Award-winning filmmaker James Mackel, the visual is three-and-a-half minutes of spy stuff, our hero, dressed to impress, making short work of the many villains who lurk in her hotel.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2026
  • One of Batman’s creepiest villains is descending upon the box office this weekend.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of villains
Noun
  • While heavyweights such as Nvidia, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta have struggled to sustain rallies in recent weeks, other companies are showing signs of strength.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Since taking office, Mamdani has named Diya Vij, an arts-organizations veteran, to lead the Department of Cultural Affairs, and assembled a slew of heavyweights to serve on his Committee on Arts and Culture.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 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
  • The bigs come out a lot to pressure the ball in ball screen coverage.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2026
  • When Ott was in Cleveland, the system often had just one shooting outlet on most plays, relying on the guards’ floater games and the bigs’ vertical spacing over the top.
    — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of bigs
Noun
  • In one of the many scary dream sequences David Naughton has while becoming a werewolf, his Jewish family back home is slaughtered by Nazi monsters.
    — Vulture Editors, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Other popular depictions of ghouls conflated them with monsters such as zombies and demons.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of monsters
Noun
  • Fortunately, plenty of new high-tech tools offer assistance, including robot guide dogs, a cane-bot (looking a bit like a small R2D2 with giant wheels), multiple types of smart glasses with descriptive audio, and even a haptic vest for blind dogs.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Amazon is selling the Escape Wood Boho tiny home on wheels that has tons of storage.
    — Olivia Dubyak, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of wheels
Noun
  • The 83-year-old Mann is known for directing gritty crime stories, many of which look at cops and criminals and are set in urban landscapes.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Users include not only law enforcement, but also homeowners associations and businesses – and advocates say the cameras can deter criminals and help track down suspects and missing people.
    — Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of criminals
Noun
  • His lacerating wit spares no member of his staff—a mix of true incompetents, off-putting savants, ticking time bombs, and onetime offenders prematurely consigned to professional purgatory.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Penalties increase if offenders cover their faces or someone is injured.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of offenders

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Cite this Entry

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

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