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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 For many in between, the lawsuits introduce weighty questions about accountability—corporate and otherwise. Justin Worland, Time, 12 Sep. 2025 In the end, however, these crowd-pleasers may have to overcome much weightier fare to be declared the winner. Brent Lang, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025 The brawling is weighty and the combos are satisfying to pull off, plus the rich artwork pops wonderfully across the screen. Joshua Lamb, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025 Crouched down against the wall in her London flat, Cooke celebrated for a moment before feeling a weighty sense of dread. Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for weighty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weighty
Adjective
  • Serving warrants requires officers to arrest a person suspected of committing a serious crime or secure crucial evidence, both situations that up the chances that a dangerous suspect might be lying in wait.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
  • This lightwear pair at Amazon is on sale for $12—a serious deal considering they’re polarized to ensure UV protection, feature a coating that helps protect against water on rainy days, and have a one-piece nosepad that fits snugly on your face without digging in like some of the metal varieties.
    Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • There has never been a more important time than right now.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Trout’s injuries over the last five seasons will likely rob him of the chance to reach some of baseball’s most important milestones.
    Sam Blum, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The same goes for its overall profile, though, there’s a lot going on in its front fascia—the side venting is seemingly there for function, but the massive grille is… a lot.
    Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
  • The mining of coal, for example, unleashes massive amounts of methane into the atmosphere.
    Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • On Monday, her husband, the Duke of Kent, and daughter Lady Helen Taylor appeared solemn as her coffin was taken by hearse from Kensington Palace to Westminster Cathedral for a private vigil.
    Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
  • No happening is too solemn, in this world, for a heaping portion of unabashed self-promotion.
    Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This intimate relationship with their ancestral homeland has made diaspora Armenians influential in the country’s politics.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Named after the 1983 track by Liquid Liquid, Optimo became an influential Sunday night event, hosting acts like LCD Soundsystem, Franz Ferdinand, Cut Copy, The Rapture, TV on the Radio, and Hot Chip.
    Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Though Azerbaijan now held Nagorno-Karabakh, several major issues remained.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Unsportsmanlike conduct is a major emphasis for the NFL.
    Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Zelensky said Russia is planning two more heavy offensives after three previous attempts failed and that allies must sustain production of drones and electronic warfare systems and keep weapons and funding flowing to support Ukraine.
    Brendan Cole John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Other states affected by heavy rains include Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir in the north of the country and Telangana in the south.
    Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • From one side, draped in a dark-blue robe and flanked by an entourage in matching work shirts, Joe Frazier walked slowly through the crowd, stern and granite-jawed.
    Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Not even the most stern calls to sit down could keep the crowds away, as production staff tried to pave a path for fellow front row faces like rapper Glorilla, Charles Melton, Celtics player Jayson Tatum — who was sidelined late last season with an injury — Elle Fanning, and more.
    Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Weighty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weighty. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

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