Dictionary

heavily en · ADV

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈhɛvɪli/

Etymology

From Middle English hevely, hevyliche, from Old English hefiġlīċe (“heavily; grievously”), equivalent to heavy + -ly.

Meanings

1. With a great weight.
   • The great clod trod heavily on my toes!
   • He clomped heavily up the stairs in his boots.
   • The departure was not unduly prolonged.[…]Within the door Mrs. Spoker hastily imparted to Mrs. Love a few final sentiments on the subject of Divine Intention in the disposition of buckets;[…]; a deep, guttural instigation to the horse; and the wheels of the waggonette crunched heavily away into obscurity. 1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
   • heavily burdened
   • She fell heavily into bed.
2. To a considerable degree, to a great extent.
   • He relied heavily on the data collected by the others.
   • An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’. 1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part I, London: Collins, →ISBN:
   • He drank heavily.
   • heavily in debt; heavily tattooed
   • In Virginia, gone are the weekly outings to Walmart to stock up on provisions; to El Ranchito, the Mexican convenience store, to buy shell-shaped concha pastries; and to the laundromat to machine wash heavily soiled garments. 2020 October 19, Miriam Jordan, “Migrant Workers Restricted to Farms Under One Grower’s Virus Lockdown”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 19 Oct 2020:
   • heavily pregnant
   • Upon returning to Sierra College for his sophomore year in 2013, Bryce suddenly started acting strangely. Friends noted he was not his happy self and began drinking heavily. 2026 July 18, Nicholas Muhoro, “Bryce Laspisa Vanished Near Castaic Lake After Spending 13 Hours Parked on a California Highway”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 19 Jul 2026:
   • Your advice still weighs heavily with me.
   • This problem weighs heavily on my mind.
3. In a manner designed for heavy duty.
   • heavily armed soldiers; heavily armoured tanks; heavily reinforced walls
   • Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime. 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 14, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
4. So as to be thick or heavy.
   • heavily built young men; his heavily muscled arms
5. In a laboured manner.
   • he breathed heavily

Forms

Deriveds

time hangs heavily · unheavily

Translations (26)

it pesantemente (in a heavy manner) · es pesadamente (in a laboured manner) · ru тяжело́ (in a heavy manner) · cs ztěžka (in a heavy manner) · fi raskaasti (in a laboured manner) · ru си́льно (in a heavy manner) · ru тяжело́ (in a laboured manner) · it fortemente (in a manner designed for heavy duty) · ia pesantemente (in a heavy manner) · it intensamente (in a laboured manner) · et tugevalt (in a heavy manner) · eo pezege (in a heavy manner) · ru тяжело́ (in a manner designed for heavy duty) · fi raskaasti (in a manner designed for heavy duty) · ru с трудо́м (in a laboured manner) · bg мъчително (in a laboured manner) · bg тежко (in a heavy manner) · ca pesadament (in a heavy manner) · fi raskaasti (in a heavy manner) · enm hevyliche (in a heavy manner) · fi painavasti (in a heavy manner) · cs těžce (in a manner designed for heavy duty) · ca feixugament (in a heavy manner) · es pesadamente (in a heavy manner) · bg с усилия (in a laboured manner) · cs ztěžka (in a laboured manner)