1
as in villains
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
he played the heavy in film after film until being cast against type as the romantic lead in a comedy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in heavyweights
one of high position or importance within a group
in the field of secondary education, she definitely ranks as one of the heavies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heavies
However, on season 2 of Twin Peaks, the actress played Miss Jones, the right-hand woman for one of the series' heavies, Thomas Eckhardt (the late David Warner).
—
Drew MacKie, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Specifically, Alioto sought to reimagine the magazine as a many-pronged vehicle for promising tastes—like those of regular contributors and critical heavies, Grace Byron and Greta Rainbow.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Absinthe-eyed, she projectile-vomits blunt observations and also oysters onto the heavies, overimbibing her way into her own grave once she’s inevitably discarded with a shot and shove down a stairwell (a barely-there John Magaro plays one of the gangsters).
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 4 Mar. 2026
The Paramount executive also became president of the American Motion Picture Association (precursor to the MPA) in 1925, beating out the likes of Marcus Loew, Lasky, William Fox, Hays, Sam Rothafel, Sam Katz, Carl Laemmle, Joseph Schenck, and other Hollywood heavies.
—Chris Yogerst, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
Kier’s American career centered around playing heavies.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
In February, Mayor Harrell, at the behest of local heavies such as Amazon and Microsoft, led the opposition to a referendum on another tax on those companies which would help pay for public, mixed-income housing in a city that desperately needs it.
—Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Well, there’s essentially two groups within the rare element family, lights and heavies.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Dec. 2023
Drew MacKie, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Specifically, Alioto sought to reimagine the magazine as a many-pronged vehicle for promising tastes—like those of regular contributors and critical heavies, Grace Byron and Greta Rainbow.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Absinthe-eyed, she projectile-vomits blunt observations and also oysters onto the heavies, overimbibing her way into her own grave once she’s inevitably discarded with a shot and shove down a stairwell (a barely-there John Magaro plays one of the gangsters).
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 4 Mar. 2026
The Paramount executive also became president of the American Motion Picture Association (precursor to the MPA) in 1925, beating out the likes of Marcus Loew, Lasky, William Fox, Hays, Sam Rothafel, Sam Katz, Carl Laemmle, Joseph Schenck, and other Hollywood heavies.
—Chris Yogerst, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
Kier’s American career centered around playing heavies.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
In February, Mayor Harrell, at the behest of local heavies such as Amazon and Microsoft, led the opposition to a referendum on another tax on those companies which would help pay for public, mixed-income housing in a city that desperately needs it.
—Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Well, there’s essentially two groups within the rare element family, lights and heavies.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavies
Noun
-
And, hey, the league is better when there are villains.—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
-
The festive, charming and energetic North American tour of the Broadway production is packed with as much nostalgia as new characters that are doppelgangers for the original series’ heroes and villains, and who often challenge our assumptions about their infamous families.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Which heavyweights are looking good?—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
-
Though the subject of who moves on may already be decided when Türkiye and the United States square off, these are the two heavyweights of Group D and should make for an exciting conclusion to group play.—
Austin Perry,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
That’s happened in several Mid Atlantic rivers, but in the absence of larger brutes like blues and flathead, channels will thrive and can break the 15-pound mark.—
Joe Cermele,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While most college broadcast-journalism programs tend to encourage would-be talent to ditch their regional accents in favor of a more neutral, untraceable delivery, TV pros who came up in the bigs aren’t subject to that sort of verbal nullification.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
12 June 2026
-
Relentless ball movement and floor-stretching bigs are clearly two of the best ways to get the Spurs out of their comfort zone a little bit.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Democrats never dare to criticize any of these Third World monsters, only the cops trying to protect American taxpayers from their cruel depredations.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
7 June 2026
-
This is because the main enemies in this game look to be large chitinous alien monsters, which your titular Gundam can slice into tiny pieces.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Make sure the tires reconnect with the road - During the skid, wait until the tires reconnect with the road and then gently straighten the wheels to regain control.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
12 June 2026
-
The earliest wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano were apparently much smaller than the car-tire-sized ones that are standard now, but no less coveted.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
An allegation last year by a provincial police commander that top officers and officials were colluding with organized criminals led Ramaphosa to announce a national investigation into police corruption.—
Michelle Gumede,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
-
Roman emperors, sometimes urged on by the crowd, were known to grant pardons (to criminals) and freedom (to the enslaved) after an especially noteworthy performance.—
Cullen Murphy,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Some offenders already are barred, including those convicted of first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
Florida prosecutes children as adults for serious crimes and sends juvenile offenders to adult prisons at higher rates than any other state.—
Jay Blitzman,
The Conversation,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heavies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavies. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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