Standard Lemma guide

weighty

adj · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈweɪti/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪti
  • CMU ARPABET: W EY1 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: W EY1 T IY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having a lot of weight; heavy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Important; serious; not trivial or petty.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • a weighty argument

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: grave, solemn, austere, frightful, demure, serious, earnest, grievous, lack-laughter, thoughtful, sad, sage, saturnine, sedate, solemncholy, sober, somber, sombre, staid, stern, sweer, weightsome, weighty

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Rigorous; severe; afflictive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

having relatively great weight; heavy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a weighty load
  • a weighty package

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: weightless

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

excessively fat

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a weighty man

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: corpulent, obese, rotund

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

weighing heavily on the spirit; causing anxiety or worry

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • weighty problems

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

of great gravity or crucial import; requiring serious thought

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • grave responsibilities
  • faced a grave decision in a time of crisis
  • a grievous fault
  • heavy matters of state
  • the weighty matters to be discussed at the peace conference

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: grave, grievous, heavy

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

powerfully persuasive

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a cogent argument
  • a telling presentation
  • a weighty argument

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cogent, telling

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English weighti, weghti, wighti, equivalent to weight + -y. Cognate with Scots weichty, wechty, wichty, Saterland Frisian wichtich, West Frisian wichtich, Dutch wichtig, gewichtig, German wichtig, Danish vigtig, Swedish viktig. Compare typologically Russian ве́ский (véskij), весо́мый (vesómyj) (< вес (ves)). Also compare the same meaning development from cognate (by borrowing) Polish waga (< ... < Proto-Germanic *wēgō): ważny (whence Russian ва́жный (vážnyj)).

Across languages

Translations

53 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: ва́жкі (vážki) — heavy
  • Bulgarian: тежък (težǎk) — heavy
  • Czech: těžký — heavy
  • Czech: velký — heavy
  • Czech: objemný — heavy
  • Dutch: zwaarwegend — heavy
  • Dutch: gewichtig — heavy
  • Dutch: wichtig — heavy
  • Esperanto: pezega — heavy
  • Georgian: მძიმე (mʒime) — heavy
  • Georgian: მძიმეწონიანი (mʒimec̣oniani) — heavy
  • German: wichtig — heavy
  • Ido: pezoza — heavy
  • Ido: grava — heavy
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vektig — heavy
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: vektig — heavy
  • Romanian: greu — heavy
  • Romanian: care atârnă greu — heavy
  • Russian: тяжёлый (tjažólyj) — heavy
  • Sanskrit: गुरु (guru) — heavy
  • Spanish: pesado — heavy
  • Ottoman Turkish: آغر (ağır) — heavy
  • Ottoman Turkish: وزین (vezin) — heavy
  • Azerbaijani: tutarlı — important; serious
  • Bulgarian: убедителен (ubeditelen) — important; serious
  • Czech: závažný — important; serious
  • Czech: vážný — important; serious
  • Czech: důležitý — important; serious
  • Czech: pádný — important; serious
  • Danish: tungtvejende — important; serious
  • Georgian: დამაჯერებელი (damaǯerebeli) — important; serious
  • Georgian: მძლავრი (mʒlavri) — important; serious
  • German: schwergewichtig — important; serious
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vektig — important; serious
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tungtveiende — important; serious
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: vektig — important; serious
  • Spanish: de peso — important; serious
  • Swedish: tung — important; serious
  • Swedish: stark — important; serious
  • Bulgarian: важен (važen) — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • Bulgarian: съществен (sǎštestven) — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • Chinese Mandarin: 重要 (zhòngyào) — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • Danish: viktig — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • French: important — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • Georgian: მნიშვნელოვანი (mnišvnelovani) — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • Georgian: სერიოზული (seriozuli) — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • German: wichtig — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • Italian: importante — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • Plautdietsch: wichtich — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • Romanian: serios — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • Romanian: important — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • Spanish: importante — rigorous; severe; afflictive
  • Swedish: viktig — rigorous; severe; afflictive