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heavy

heavy

363 4.5
Causing strong sadness or a feeling of burden
  • adjective
  • /ˈhɛvi/
translation icon : abrumador
  • The news of her passing was a heavy burden for the family to bear.
  • a heavy burden
  • bear a heavy burden

It's so black and heavy all the time.

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Examples

  • It is with a heavy heart that I make this decision.

  • General, I... I bear a heavy burden of evil tidings.

  • This all becomes one more heavy bag of pain.

  • So holding on to that was so heavy for me.

  • And he says it is vast, heavy, difficult to bear.

  • Depression is such a heavy word and we understand it.

  • And it must be a heavy burden in some ways.

  • We took it to love, obsessed, heavy with jealousy.

  • The air is heavy with anticipation as the silent crowd awaits the decision.

  • We all need to be alert to the special needs of those whom AIDS is the last straw in an already heavy burden of discrimination and misfortune.

Synonyms

dark
vsheavy
377 1.0

Feeling gloomy and sad

is more about strong emotional load and gloom than simple sadness
grave
vsheavy
  • Formal
181 4.2

Very serious and needing careful attention

focuses on importance and formality rather than personal sadness or emotional load
somber
vsheavy
  • US
52 4.6

Serious and sad in feeling or mood

is more about causing a sense of burden and gloom than light sadness
melancholy
vsheavy
37 5.9

Feeling or showing deep sadness

is more about carrying emotional load and gloom than only deep sadness
gloomy
vsheavy
29 2.5

Feeling sad and without much hope

focuses more on carrying emotional load and gloom than simple sadness
grievous
vsheavy
  • Formal
26 7.9

Causing great pain or sorrow

leans toward severe harm or sorrow rather than personal ongoing emotional gloom
glum
vsheavy
23 4.1

Looking or feeling sad and quiet

is more about feeling weighed by cares and general gloom than mild low mood
burdensome
vsheavy
18 7.1

Causing a lot of extra work or worry

is about an emotional sense of gloom and burden rather than just causing trouble
weighty
vsheavy
  • Formal
18 5.3

Serious and important, needing careful thought

is about significance and impact rather than feeling sad or emotionally burdened
morose
vsheavy
15 7.9

Being quiet and unhappy and showing little interest in others

is more about being emotionally burdened and gloomy rather than only sulky mood
sorrowful
vsheavy
14 3.6

Feeling very sad because of loss or disappointment

is closer to an overall burdened mood and gloom rather than only grief
weighed down
vsheavy
  • Informal
6 4.5

Carrying heavy things or having serious worries that make you feel tired

emphasizes emotional gloom and seriousness more than mere practical strain
loaded down
vsheavy
1 4.6

Having too much work or responsibility to manage

focuses on emotional weight and gloom rather than only practical burdens
heavy-hearted
vsheavy
1 5.4

Feeling very sad and weighed down inside

is about a general sense of burden and gloom rather than just sadness
heavyhearted
vsheavy
5.4

Feeling very sad and down

is more about carrying emotional load and gloom than only deep sadness
gloomful
vsheavy
  • Archaic
7.8

Dark and sad in a way that makes you feel unhappy

leans toward lasting gloom and emotional weight rather than mild sadness
burdened
vsheavy
3.8

Feeling very weighed down by work, problems, or responsibilities

is about feeling full of sadness and gloom rather than just difficult tasks
care-laden
vsheavy
  • Literature
8.6

Full of worry and sadness because of problems

centers on an overall sad, burdened mood rather than only having many concerns

Antonyms

72 2.0

Cheerful and not serious

70 1.0

Feeling or showing great happiness

17 3.7

Feeling cheerful and not worried about serious things

Idioms

10 7.7

People feel very strong romantic or sexual feelings for each other

A strong feeling that people in a place notice and feel

Much heavier than it looks and hard to lift

heavy weather
  • Informal
8.3

Make a task seem harder than it is

Compounds

27 3.6

Hard work that needs a lot of physical effort or responsibility

26 3.9

Loud rock music with distorted guitars and strong rhythms

23 3.9

Made to do hard work and last a long time

heavy equipment
  • Specialized
17 3.4

Large machines like bulldozers or cranes used to move dirt and heavy materials

heavy weapon
  • Specialized
15 5.2

A large gun like artillery or a heavy machine gun that soldiers move to support troops in war

14 4.0

A very sad feeling because of a loss or bad news

Big powerful machines used for building or mining

heavy artillery
  • Specialized
12 5.0

Guns that fire large shells at targets far away in war

heavy hitter
  • Informal
12 4.9

A person who has a lot of power and influence in a field

heavy metal
  • Specialized
11 4.8

A dense metal that is often poisonous, like lead or mercury

11 2.0

Thick milk with a lot of fat used to make food taste rich and smooth

9 1.0

A large amount of snow falling in a short time that causes problems

Many guards and strict checks protect people or places

heavy water
  • Specialized
5 7.8

A kind of water with heavier hydrogen atoms used in some nuclear reactors

A type of loud, powerful rock with strong guitar sounds, fast drums, and angry lyrics

3 1.0

A thick piece of clothing worn to keep you warm in cold weather

2 6.8

A difficult task that needs a lot of effort

1 3.7

An amount of money a person or company must pay as punishment for breaking a law

1 1.9

A large amount of food that makes you feel very full

heavy flak
  • Informal
1 6.5

Strong public criticism of a person or action

A thick cream with a lot of fat used for whipping and cooking

1 7.1

Hard to understand or slow to get through

heavy hitter
  • Specialized
1 6.0

An item that appears very often in a stream of data

heavy hydrogen
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A hydrogen atom with one neutron in its centre

A lot of rain or snow that falls in a short time

1 6.0

To walk with loud, slow steps because you are clumsy

Being too forceful and not subtle in actions or words

1 6.5

Weighed down by worry or responsibility

A strong negative reaction from many people after a decision or action

heavy fug
  • Literature
9.5

Thick, stuffy, often smoky air in a room that makes breathing hard

heavy spar
  • Specialized
9.9

A white mineral mined to get the metal barium

8.1

Filling plain food that is not pleasant to eat and makes you feel tired

heavy swell
  • Specialized
5.9

Large rolling waves that make the sea rise and fall

heavy syllable
  • Specialized
8.3

A syllable with a long vowel, two vowel sounds together, or a final consonant that sounds stronger

heavy torpedo
  • Specialized
8.3

A large underwater weapon launched from submarines with a very powerful warhead to sink big ships

heavy particle
  • Specialized
8.4

A tiny piece of matter as heavy as or heavier than a proton that feels the strong force

A person who has large strong arms that are good for lifting or fighting

Arms and legs feel heavy and make moving slow and hard

Very harsh comments that make someone feel hurt

Carrying a large load, for example snow on branches

How Sad

inconsolable
10 7.2
depressed
441 3.5
heavy
363 4.5
sad
1.0
downcast
3 4.7
down
  • Informal
24 6.7

Surface Forms

heavy positive
heavier comparative
heaviest superlative

Etymology

Heavy comes from Old English hefig, which meant 'weighty' or 'weighing a lot'. That's why a 'heavy' silence or heavy news feels like a weight on your feelings.