top-heavy

adjective

ˈtäp-ˌhe-vē How to pronounce top-heavy (audio)
Synonyms of top-heavynext
1
: having the top part too heavy for the lower part
2
: having too high a proportion of administrators
a top-heavy bureaucracy
3
: oversupplied with one element at the expense of others : lacking balance
a novel top-heavy with description

Examples of top-heavy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Until the playoffs each year, Major League Baseball can be credibly labeled a top-heavy business that’s tailor-made for the industry’s biggest markets at the expense of smaller locales. — David K. Li, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2026 Maybe competing for a championship in this top-heavy Western Conference doesn’t seem possible for Doncic and the Lakers. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Rosenbluth says investors can attempt to balance out the top-heavy S&P 500 through the addition of mid-cap funds, with iShares' core mid-cap portfolio IJH one example. — Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 Yes, the Power Keyboard is heavier, but that extra heft is partly used to counteract the top-heavy imbalance when attached to a phone. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for top-heavy

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of top-heavy was circa 1531

Rhymes for top-heavy

See All Rhymes for top-heavy

Browse Nearby Words

top-heaviness
top-heavy
Tophet
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Top-heavy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/top-heavy. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

top-heavy

adjective
ˈtäp-ˌhev-ē
: having the top part too heavy for the lower part

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