heavily

adverb

heavi·​ly ˈhe-və-lē 

1

: to a great degree : severely

The building was heavily damaged.

The decision weighs heavily on my mind. [=is very difficult and worrisome]

2

: slowly and laboriously : dully

sighed heavily

3

archaic : with sorrow : grievously

4

: in a heavy manner

sat down heavily

Synonyms of heavily

• extremely
• highly
• terribly
• very
• incredibly
• badly
• severely
• too
• so
• intensely
• greatly
• damned
• desperately
• really
• damn
• seriously
• wildly
• far
• much
• especially
• most

Examples of heavily in a Sentence

He relies heavily on his wife for advice.

These artists borrow heavily from Picasso.

Our flowers were heavily damaged by a late spring frost.

She drank and smoked heavily for years.

He sat down heavily on the couch.

He was leaning heavily on the table.

She sighed heavily then said “Okay, I'll do it.”

Recent Examples on the Web

The distinction matters because Oura’s sales still lean heavily toward hardware, according to Siu. — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026

Japan's southwestern shift in its military focus centers heavily on Okinawa and its nearby islands. — Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026

Shanmugam heavily emphasized the constitutional argument, leading to pushback from the justices who believed the Clean Air Act was likely the stronger argument. — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026

Rather than replacing physical retail, success online strengthened the business enough to invest even more heavily in it. — Adam Barker, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing heavily

• heavily armed

Rhymes for heavily

• evilly