Dictionary
heav•y
Pronunciation: (hev'ē), [key]
—adj., heav•i•er, heav•i•est,
—n., pl. heav•ies,
—adv.
—
adj.
1. of great weight; hard to lift or carry:
a heavy load.
2. of great amount, quantity, or size; extremely large; massive:
a heavy vote; a heavy snowfall.
3. of great force, intensity, turbulence, etc.:
a heavy sea.
4. of more than the usual or average weight:
a heavy person; heavy freight.
5. having much weight in proportion to bulk; being of high specific gravity:
a heavy metal.
6. of major import; grave; serious:
a heavy offense.
7. deep or intense; profound:
a heavy thinker; heavy slumber.
8. Mil.
a. thickly armed or equipped with guns of large size. Cf.
heavy cruiser.
b. (of guns) of the more powerful sizes:
heavy weapons. Cf.
heavy artillery.
9. hard to bear; burdensome; harsh; oppressive:
heavy taxes.
10. hard to cope with; trying; difficult:
a heavy task.
11. being as indicated to an unusually great degree:
a heavy buyer.
12. broad, thick, or coarse; not delicate:
heavy lines drawn in charcoal.
13. weighted or laden:
air heavy with moisture.
14. fraught; loaded; charged:
words heavy with meaning.
15. depressed with trouble or sorrow; showing sorrow; sad:
a heavy heart.
16. without vivacity or interest; ponderous; dull:
a heavy style.
17. slow in movement or action; clumsy:
a heavy walk.
18. loud and deep; sonorous:
a heavy sound.
19. (of the sky) overcast or cloudy.
20. exceptionally dense in substance; insufficiently raised or leavened; thick:
heavy doughnuts.
21. (of food) not easily digested.
22. being in a state of advanced pregnancy; nearing childbirth:
heavy with child; heavy with young.
23. having a large capacity, capable of doing rough work, or having a large output:
a heavy truck.
24. producing or refining basic materials, as steel or coal, used in manufacturing:
heavy industry.
25. sober, serious, or somber:
a heavy part in a drama.
26. Chem.of or pertaining to an isotope of greater than normal atomic weight, as heavy hydrogen or heavy oxygen, or to a compound containing such an element, as heavy water.
27. Slang.
a. very good; excellent.
b. very serious or important:
a really heavy relationship.
28. Pros.(of a syllable)
a. stressed.
b. long.
—
n.
1. a somber or ennobled theatrical role or character:
Iago is the heavy in Othello.
2. the theatrical role of a villain.
3. an actor who plays a theatrical heavy.
4. Mil.a gun of great weight or large caliber.
5. Slang.a very important or influential person:
a reception for government heavies.
—
adv.
heavily.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
