hefty

[hef-tee]

adjective

heftier, heftiest 

1. heavy; weighty.

   a hefty book.

2. big and strong; powerful; muscular.

   a hefty athlete.

   Synonyms: stalwart, burly, husky, robust

3. impressively large or substantial.

   a hefty increase in salary.

hefty

/ ˈhɛftɪ /

adjective

1. big and strong

2. characterized by vigour or force

   a hefty blow

3. large, bulky, or heavy

4. sizable; involving a large amount of money

   a hefty bill

   a hefty wage

Other Word Forms

• heftily adverb
• heftiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hefty¹

First recorded in 1865–70; heft + -y ¹

Example Sentences

But those losses have slowed since April and the Kremlin has managed to bolster the army's ranks by offering recruits hefty paychecks.

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It is unclear whether the Amazon CEO paid that hefty sum or managed to snag a discount.

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OTTAWA—Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is considering a trip to Washington early next month, which may provide an opportunity to restart talks with the White House about relief from certain hefty tariffs.

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Nvidia “has been taking in hefty prepayments from customers and then recognizing those payments as revenue … before chips are delivered,” Ozkardeskaya noted in emailed comments.

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Americans shouldn’t do their 2026 budgeting with the expectation of a hefty check from Uncle Sam.

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Related Words

• colossal 
• fat 
• heavy 
• large 
• massive 
• robust 
• sizable 
• substantial 
• tremendous 
• weighty