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 This year, recommenders include cultural heavies like Susan Orlean, Tony Tulathimutte, Jia Tolentino, Vincenzo Latronico, Sarah Thankam Matthews, and Tavi Gevinson. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 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
  • Much psychological research has focussed on the degradation of villains, but a symmetrical force works to elevate victims.
    — Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Catwoman For a sexy twist on your classic cat makeup, channel one of the comic book world's most beloved villains.
    — Michella Oré, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of villains
Noun
  • The other five finance heavyweights in the group — BlackRock, Brookfield, Blackstone, KKR, and Apollo — either didn’t provide a comment when asked about Nvidia’s troubles, or pointed to Solomon’s remarks.
    — Ellen DiMauro, semafor.com, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Di Girolamo stars alongside Hollywood heavyweights John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi and Parker Posey, and is directed by Oscar winner Martin McDonagh.
    — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 9 Nov. 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 efforts of Onyeka Okongwu and Lu Dort helped minimize any damage from Wizards bigs Alex Sarr and Deandre Ayton.
    — Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The bigs come out a lot to pressure the ball in ball screen coverage.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of bigs
Noun
  • The film, set between the years 1945 and 1947, depicts a society struggling to recover from war, only to be reduced, once again, by the arrival of a kaiju (as giant monsters are known in Japanese, and to fans of the corresponding film genre).
    — Matt Alt, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The fight scene rules, and there are much, much worse things for kids to see than CGI monsters grievously injuring one another.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of monsters
Noun
  • From January through the end of August this year — the most recent month for which Federal Aviation Administration data is available — planes landing at O’Hare averaged 20 minutes to taxi to their gates once their wheels hit the ground.
    — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
  • So while the tank was resting on the road wheels that help keep the tracks in tension, trying to tow it would likely just cause the massive vehicle to dig in.
    — Stephen Edelstein, The Drive, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of wheels
Noun
  • According to investigators cited by NBC News, the criminals have shown planning and sophistication by employing techniques like GPS location spoofing and even arranging collisions with police escort vehicles.
    — Nick Indge, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Without changing state law, criminals can continue to be sentenced to death in California.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of criminals
Noun
  • The worst offenders on the public records law are the State Police.
    — Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Schneider says royal ferns are known for doing this in the garden, while Jose Lopez, owner and founder of Williams Landscaping Chicago, says ostrich ferns and lady ferns are other common offenders.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 5 Nov. 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 13 Nov. 2026.

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