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1. Of comparatively great physical weight or density
   "a heavy load"; "lead is a heavy metal"; "heavy mahogany furniture"
    
2. Unusually great in degree, quantity or number
   "heavy taxes"; "a heavy fine"; "heavy casualties"; "heavy losses"; "heavy rain"; "heavy traffic"
    
3. Of the military or industry; using (or being) the heaviest and most powerful armaments or weapons or equipment
   "heavy artillery"; "heavy infantry"; "a heavy cruiser"; "heavy guns"; "heavy industry involves large-scale production of basic products (such as steel) used by other industries"
    
4. Marked by great psychological weight; weighted down especially with sadness, troubles or weariness
   "a heavy heart"; "a heavy schedule"; "heavy news"; "a heavy silence"; "heavy eyelids"
    
5. Of great intensity, power or force
   "a heavy blow"; "the fighting was heavy"; "heavy seas"
    
6. (physics, chemistry) being or containing an isotope with greater than average atomic mass or weight
   "heavy hydrogen"; "heavy water"
    
7. Usually describes a large person who is fat but has a large frame to carry it
   - fleshy, thickset, heavyset
    
8. (used of soil) compact and fine-grained
   "the clayey soil was heavy and easily saturated"; "the cloggy soil was heavy and easily saturated";
   - clayey, cloggy
    
9. Darkened by clouds
   "a heavy sky";
   - lowering[2], sullen, threatening, lowery, loury, louring
    
10. (of an actor or role) being or playing the villain
    "Iago is the heavy role in 'Othello'"
     
11. Permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter
    "heavy fog";
    - dense, impenetrable
     
12. Of relatively large extent and density
    "a heavy line"
     
13. Made of fabric having considerable thickness
    "a heavy coat"
     
14. Prodigious
    "heavy investor";
    - big
     
15. Full and loud and deep
    "heavy sounds";
    - sonorous
     
16. Given to excessive indulgence of bodily appetites especially for intoxicating liquors
    "a heavy drinker";
    - intemperate, hard
     
17. Of great gravity or crucial import; requiring serious thought
    "heavy matters of state";
    - grave, grievous, weighty
     
18. Slow and laborious because of weight
    "the heavy tread of tired troops";
    - lumbering, ponderous
     
19. Large and powerful; especially designed for heavy loads or rough work
    "a heavy truck"; "heavy machinery"
     
20. Dense or inadequately leavened and hence likely to cause distress in the alimentary canal
    "a heavy pudding"
     
21. Sharply inclined
    "a heavy grade"
     
22. Full of; bearing great weight
    "trees heavy with fruit";
    - weighed down
     
23. Requiring or showing effort
    "heavy breathing";
    - labored [US], laboured [Brit, Cdn]
     
24. Characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort
    "heavy work"; "heavy going";
    - arduous, backbreaking, grueling [US], gruelling [Brit, Cdn], hard, laborious, operose, punishing, toilsome, killing [informal]
     
25. Lacking lightness or liveliness
    "heavy humour";
    - leaden
     
26. (of sleep) deep and complete
    "a heavy sleep";
    - profound, sound, wakeless
     
27. In an advanced stage of pregnancy
    "was heavy with child";
    - big, enceinte [archaic], expectant, gravid [technical], great, large, with child

1. An actor who plays villainous roles
    
2. A serious (or tragic) role in a play
    
3. [informal] A large and strong and heavyset man
   - bull, bruiser, strapper, Samson

1. Slowly as if burdened by much weight
   "time hung heavy on their hands";
   - heavily

Derived forms: heavier, heavies, heaviest

See also: big, burdensome, cloudy, compact, concerning, deep, dense, distressful, distressing, disturbing, doughy, dull, effortful, fat, full, harsh, heavier-than-air, heavy-duty, heavy-footed, hebetudinous [rare], hefty, important, indigestible, indulgent, intemperate, leaden, massive, non-buoyant, of import, onerous, oppressive, perturbing, ponderous, preggers [informal], preggo [Austral, NZ, informal], pregnant, soggy, steep, taxing, thick, troubling, up the duff [Brit, informal], up the spout [informal], up the stick [Brit, informal], weight, weighted, weighty, wicked, worrisome, worrying

Type of: actor, adult male, bozo [N. Amer, informal], cat [N. Amer, informal], chappie [Brit, informal], character, geezer [Brit, informal], guy [informal], histrion, hombre [Brit, N. Amer, informal], man, part, persona, player, role, role player, sod [informal], theatrical role, thespian

Antonym: light

Encyclopedia: Heavy, Left-handed and Candid