weighty

[wey-tee]

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

/ ˈweɪtɪ /

adjective

1. having great weight

2. important or momentous

3. causing anxiety or worry

Other Word Forms

• weightily adverb
• weightiness noun
• unweighty adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of weighty¹

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

Synonym Study

See heavy.

Example Sentences

Initially called “Fiber K” by the DuPont chemist who invented it, it was a replacement for the rubber used in women’s foundation garments, which was weighty, hot and quick to stretch out.

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Details of the prints reveal Goya’s hand—alternately frenetic, delicate and weighty—with fresh intimacy.

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Biden handed his vice president a portfolio of tough and weighty issues, among them addressing the root causes of illegal migration from Central America.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“The Eleventh Hour” sees the acclaimed Indian-born British American author exploring the weighty matters of life and death.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“The Gifting Bowl” includes a faceless, yellow figure holding a weighty book while a trio of colorful hands reach down from the painting’s ceiling to grasp into a transparent bowl.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• consequential 
• earnest 
• meaningful 
• momentous 
• portentous 
• significant 
• sober 
• solemn 
• somber 
• substantial