WEIGHTY Synonyms: 219 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'weighty' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of weighty are cumbersome , cumbrous , heavy , and ponderous . While all these words mean "having great weight," weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight. // a load of weighty boxes

Q: How are the words 'cumbrous' and 'cumbersome' related as synonyms of 'weighty'?

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

Q: When can 'heavy' be used instead of 'weighty'?

In some situations, the words heavy and weighty are roughly equivalent. However, heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class. // a heavy child for his age

Q: When might 'ponderous' be a better fit than 'weighty'?

The synonyms ponderous and weighty are sometimes interchangeable, but ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia. // ponderous elephants in a circus parade

weighty

adjective

ˈwā-tē

Definition of weighty

as in serious

having a matter of importance as its topic interrupted a weighty discussion with a silly question

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in important

having great meaning or lasting effect choosing a college is a weighty decision

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in massive

having great weight lifted the weighty sack and wondered what was in it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in solemn

not joking or playful in mood or manner the police office looked at me with a rather weighty expression

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in influential

having power over the minds or behavior of others one of the weightiest figures in the field of pediatric medicine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective weighty differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of weighty are cumbersome, cumbrous, heavy, and ponderous. While all these words mean "having great weight," weighty suggests having actual and not just relative weight.

a load of weighty boxes

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

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 can heavy be used instead of weighty?

In some situations, the words heavy and weighty are roughly equivalent. However, heavy implies that something has greater density or thickness than the average of its kind or class.

a heavy child for his age

When might ponderous be a better fit than weighty?

The synonyms ponderous and weighty are sometimes interchangeable, but ponderous implies having great weight because of size and massiveness with resulting great inertia.

ponderous elephants in a circus parade

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 weighty As for whether the report helps prompt change or becomes yet another weighty academic doorstop, that remains to be seen at City Hall, where entrenched political power often combines with bureaucratic inertia to stifle innovation. — A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026 Capturing the whole of the set-up, a Mediterranean pile on the north-west coast of Cyprus, framing its splendid size, its weighty elegance, its thrilling solidity, is challenging. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 Kreiz brings weighty international experience to the new entity, and was for a couple hours rumored to be taking up a big international job before being named co-chief. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026 In the aftermath of the American Civil War, veteran Cyrus Trask (Tracy Letts) raises his two sons, imprinting on them his weighty expectations for their futures. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for weighty

Recent Examples of Synonyms for weighty

Adjective

The Tallahassee Police Department said in a statement that 11 of the 12 were shot and that three victims had serious injuries, with one minor in serious condition.

— Samantha Cookinham, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2026
Bake this classic all the way through for a light and tender crumb, or cut the bake time short for serious gooey goodness in the center.

— Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of serious

Adjective

Helium plays an important role in wind, solar and nuclear energy production, space exploration, medical imaging and research.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Education and giving back are important values to the family as the project represents for them a broader impact within the natural diamond industry.

— Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of important

Adjective

Toronto reacquired Leonard in an offseason trade after a salary cap-circumvention scandal that led to massive sanctions against the Clippers.

— CBS News, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Pearson and his brother KeShaun are the two most prominent local opponents of Elon Musk’s xAI, a subsidiary of which has developed a massive data-center complex, provocatively named Colossus, in and around South Memphis.

— Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of massive

Adjective

The spirituality throughout is imbued with a solemn reverence more Catholic than Baptist.

— Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
This production, solemn about our obligations to one another but committed to providing a good night out at the theater, is neither.

— Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of solemn

Adjective

Just 3% of respondents expect electricity demand from AI to be lower than forecast; a majority see the technology as becoming more influential than innovations in renewable energy over the next decade.

— Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026
The backstory One of a raft of Six Senses openings, the hotel is owned by the influential architect Jonathan Leitersdorf.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of influential

Adjective

For their collaborative full-length debut, Eris Drew and Octo Octa hunkered down in their New Hampshire cabin to craft a celebratory, sample-heavy tribute to the maximalist dance music of yore.

— Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
Bakkila skipped the brand’s optional white glove delivery, and her king-size mattress arrived in two heavy boxes with the latex layers packaged separately inside a zippered cover for assembly at home.

— Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of heavy

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Style

“Weighty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weighty. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of weighty

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