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Synonyms

weighty

American  
[wey-tee] / ˈweɪ ti /

adjective

weightier, weightiest
  1. having considerable weight; heavy; ponderous.

    a weighty bundle.

    Antonyms:
    light
  2. burdensome or troublesome.

    the weightier cares of sovereignty.

  3. important or momentous.

    weighty negotiations.

    Synonyms:
    consequential, grave, serious, significant
    Antonyms:
    unimportant, light
  4. having or exerting influence, power, etc.; influential.

    a weighty merchant of Boston.


weighty British  
/ ˈweɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. having great weight

  2. important or momentous

  3. causing anxiety or worry

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See heavy.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of weighty

First recorded in 1480–90; see origin at weight, -y 1

Explanation

Weighty things are either very heavy or extremely important and worrisome. Putting your weighty cat on a diet might be a weighty issue that nags at you. If your luggage is too weighty, you'll have to pay an extra fee at the airport. And if you've got a mind full of weighty problems, you won't be able to fall asleep on your long flight. Sometimes this adjective is also used to mean "influential," like the weighty influence your SAT scores might have on your chances of being accepted at a competitive college.

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Vocabulary lists containing weighty

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But lately being single has felt like a struggle, and not just because of the weighty financial decisions hanging over her head.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is the headline speaker at Asia's premier defence summit opening Friday, but China's top officials aren't expected despite weighty questions like Taiwan and the war in Iran.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

Can’t wait to see what Smith wears on the big day — hopefully it will be a tad less weighty.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Renting first provides an opportunity to get reliable referrals and gain a better understanding of how the system works before making such a weighty decision.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

It was weighty and at the same time it was joyful, a feeling mirrored in the inaugural speech Barack would then deliver.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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