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as in slow
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest the study of history doesn't have to be all about dull heavy reading and the memorization of dates

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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heavy

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective heavy differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of heavy are cumbersome, cumbrous, ponderous, and weighty. While all these words 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

How are the words cumbrous and cumbersome related as synonyms of heavy?

Both 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

When could ponderous be used to replace heavy?

The meanings of ponderous and heavy largely overlap; however, ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

Where would weighty be a reasonable alternative to heavy?

In some situations, the words weighty and heavy are roughly equivalent. However, weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

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 heavy
Adjective
What’s sorely missing, though, is a sense of danger in what is essentially a buddy movie with a lot of FX-heavy set pieces. Damon Wise, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025 Dow futures rose slightly Tuesday night, while futures tied to the tech-heavy Nasdaq slid, as investors continue to grapple with where megacap tech stocks head from here. Sarah Min, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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 Previously home to a long-standing restaurant called Andiamo, the space had a dark, wood-heavy aesthetic. Amanda Lauren, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heavy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavy
Adjective
  • Landry, who charged LSU’s board of supervisors with leading the search for a new football coach, expressed dissatisfaction with the massive contract that Woodward had given Kelly, which included a buyout for as much as $53 million.
    The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
  • When Rubenstein asked whether the massive market capitalizations of major tech firms, some nearing $5 trillion, signal a potential bubble, Solomon offered a historical perspective.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Tiles also exhibited hysteresis, which was smaller at slower speeds due to the rubber’s viscoelastic properties, as reported by Nanowerk.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Levi, an electrical engineer who founded MicroKits in 2020, has had to raise prices, slow production and pause plans to launch a new product – Banan-a-Synth – that lets kids turn a bunch of bananas into a kind of keyboard.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Wispy ’90s bangs are notoriously finicky—they’re so lightweight that the slightest brush against your forehead can leave them greasy and flat.
    Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2025
  • The silky, lightweight formula melts right in and leaves behind a natural, glowy tint that evens things out without feeling heavy or greasy.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • As her body began to shiver and her mind grew hazy, extraction efforts only became more difficult.
    Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
  • At the new Bay View taproom, the brewery will serve small runs as well as Solemn Oath Brewery staples, such as its popular Lü Kölsch, Snaggletooth Bandana IPA, Small Wave City Club hazy IPA and Kidnapped by Vikings IPA.
    Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • According to the woman, her parents’ reasoning for denying her requests was rooted in a harsh lesson about independence.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Instead of buying special cleaners or reaching for harsh chemicals to clean around your home, look to your medicine cabinet for a solution.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • His label pioneered the industry’s intensive training system, recruiting performers as young as elementary school age and putting them through years of rigorous preparation.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Though similarly intensive, Leni's look provided a stark contrast to mom Heidi’s costume, which leaned more spooky than cute — and took inspiration from an older tale.
    Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Rule out any more serious conditions.
    RikkiLynn Shields Hannigan, Health, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Springsteen has been open over the years about navigating depression, which began to get serious during his early 30s.
    Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Cue, Helm’s first rejection, abandonment, difficult emotions.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • This character was actually quite difficult for me.
    Gavin J Blair, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Heavy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavy. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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