Heavyish vs. Heavy: What's the Difference?
By Harlon Moss & Aimie Carlson || Updated on May 29, 2024
Heavyish describes something somewhat heavy, but not quite as heavy as something described as heavy. Heavy denotes a substantial weight, while heavyish implies a degree of heaviness that is less absolute.
Key Differences
Heavyish suggests a moderate weight, not too light but not very heavy either. It is used to describe objects or people that have noticeable weight without being overwhelmingly heavy. Heavy, on the other hand, indicates a significant weight. Objects described as heavy are typically harder to lift or move and have a greater mass. The term is more definitive and is used when there is no ambiguity about the weight being substantial.
Heavyish can be used in casual or informal contexts to give an approximate sense of weight without committing to a precise measure. It reflects a relative heaviness, often relying on personal perception or comparison to something lighter. Heavy, by contrast, is often used in both everyday and technical contexts to provide a clear understanding that the item or person in question has considerable weight. It leaves little room for interpretation and is straightforward in its implication.
In describing items, heavyish might be chosen when the weight is notable but manageable, whereas heavy would be reserved for cases where the weight is distinctly challenging. This distinction helps convey the level of effort required to handle the item.
The difference between heavyish and heavy also impacts expectations. If something is described as heavyish, one might prepare for moderate effort, while something heavy would necessitate significant strength or assistance.
Comparison Chart
Degree of Weight
Moderate, somewhat heavy
Substantial, very heavy
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Usage Context
Casual, subjective
Formal, definitive
Implication
Noticeable but manageable weight
Considerable weight, challenging
Perception
Relative, based on personal judgment
Absolute, clear understanding
Example Application
"The bag felt heavyish after adding books."
"The suitcase was heavy and hard to lift."
Heavyish and Heavy Definitions
Heavyish
Between light and heavy.
His backpack was heavyish after adding his laptop.
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Heavy
Weighing a lot.
This bag of groceries is heavy.
Heavyish
Not extremely heavy, but not light.
The book felt heavyish in her hands.
Heavy
Difficult to lift due to weight.
The furniture was heavy, requiring two people to carry.
Heavyish
Moderately weighty.
This coat is heavyish, good for autumn weather.
Heavy
Substantial in mass.
The heavy machine required special equipment to transport.
Heavyish
Slightly heavier than expected.
The box was heavyish due to the dense contents.
Heavy
Characterized by a lot of weight.
She struggled with the heavy suitcase.
Heavyish
Somewhat heavy.
Heavy
Having relatively great weight
A heavy load.
Heavy
Having relatively high density; having a high specific gravity.
Heavy
Large, as in number or quantity
A heavy turnout.
Heavy casualties.
Heavy
Large in yield or output
Heavy rainfall.
Heavy
Of great intensity
Heavy activity.
Heavy fighting.
Heavy
Having great power or force
A heavy punch.
Heavy
Violent; rough
Heavy seas.
Heavy
Equipped with massive armaments and weapons
A heavy cruiser.
Heavy infantry.
Heavy
Large enough to fire powerful shells
Heavy guns.
Heavy
Indulging to a great degree
A heavy drinker.
Heavy
Involved or participating on a large scale
A heavy investor.
Heavy
Of great import or seriousness; grave
Heavy matters of state.
Heavy
Having considerable thickness
A heavy coat.
Heavy
Broad or coarse
Drew the face with heavy lines.
Heavy
Dense; thick
A heavy fog.
Heavy
Slow to dissipate; strong
"There was a heavy fragrance of flowers and lemon trees" (Mario Puzo).
Heavy
Too dense or rich to digest easily
A heavy dessert.
Heavy
Insufficiently leavened
Heavy bread.
Heavy
Full of clay and readily saturated
Heavy soil.
Heavy
Weighed down; burdened
Trees heavy with plums.
Heavy
Emotionally weighed down; despondent
A heavy heart.
Heavy
Marked by or exhibiting weariness
Heavy lids.
Heavy
Sad or painful
Heavy news.
Heavy
Hard to do or accomplish; arduous
Heavy going.
Heavy reading.
Heavy
Not easily borne; oppressive
Heavy taxes.
Heavy
Lacking vitality; deficient in vivacity or grace
A heavy gait.
Heavy humor.
Heavy
Sharply inclined; steep
A heavy grade.
Heavy
Having a large capacity or designed for rough work
A heavy truck.
Heavy
Of, relating to, or involving the large-scale production of basic products, such as steel
Heavy industry.
Heavy
Of or relating to a serious dramatic role.
Heavy
(Physics) Of or relating to an isotope with an atomic mass greater than the average mass of that element.
Heavy
Loud; sonorous
A heavy sound.
Heavy breathing.
Heavy
(Linguistics) Of, relating to, or being a syllable ending in a long vowel or in a vowel plus two consonants.
Heavy
Of great significance or profundity.
Heavy
Very popular or important
A rock star who is really heavy.
Heavy
Heavily
The snow is falling heavier tonight than last night.
Heavy
A serious or tragic role in a play.
Heavy
An actor playing such a role.
Heavy
(Slang) A villain in a story or play.
Heavy
(Slang) A mobster.
Heavy
(Slang) One that is very important or influential
A media heavy.
Heavy
(of a physical object) Having great weight.
Heavy
(of a topic) Serious, somber.
Heavy
Not easy to bear; burdensome; oppressive.
Heavy yokes, expenses, undertakings, trials, news, etc.
Heavy
Good.
This film is heavy.
Heavy
Profound.
The Moody Blues are, like, heavy.
Heavy
(of a rate of flow) High, great.
Heavy
(slang) Armed.
Come heavy, or not at all.
Heavy
(of music) Loud, distorted, or intense.
Metal is heavier than rock.
Heavy
(of weather) Hot and humid.
Heavy
(of a person) Doing the specified activity more intensely than most other people.
He was a heavy sleeper, a heavy eater and a heavy smoker – certainly not an ideal husband.
Heavy
(of the eyes) With eyelids difficult to keep open due to tiredness.
Heavy
(of food) High in fat or protein; difficult to digest.
Cheese-stuffed sausage is too heavy to eat before exercising.
Heavy
Of great force, power, or intensity; deep or intense.
It was a heavy storm;
A heavy slumber in bed;
A heavy punch
Heavy
Laden to a great extent.
His eyes were heavy with sleep;
She was heavy with child
Heavy
Laden with that which is weighty; encumbered; burdened; bowed down, either with an actual burden, or with grief, pain, disappointment, etc.
Heavy
Slow; sluggish; inactive; or lifeless, dull, inanimate, stupid.
A heavy gait, looks, manners, style, etc.
A heavy writer or book
Heavy
Impeding motion; cloggy; clayey.
A heavy road; a heavy soil
Heavy
Not raised or leavened.
Heavy bread
Heavy
(of wines or spirits) Having much body or strength.
Heavy
(obsolete) With child; pregnant.
Heavy
(physics) Containing one or more isotopes that are heavier than the normal one.
Heavy
(petroleum) Having high viscosity.
Heavy
(finance) Of a market: in which the price of shares is declining.
Heavy
Heavily-armed.
Heavy
Having a relatively high takeoff weight and payload,
Heavy
Especially, having a maximum takeoff weight exceeding 300,000 tons, as almost all widebodies do, generating high wake turbulence.
Heavy
Having the heaves.
A heavy horse
Heavy
In a heavy manner; weightily; heavily; gravely.
Heavy laden with their sins
Heavy
To a great degree; greatly.
Heavy
Very
Heavy
(slang) A villain or bad guy; the one responsible for evil or aggressive acts.
With his wrinkled, uneven face, the actor always seemed to play the heavy in films.
Heavy
(slang) A doorman, bouncer or bodyguard.
A fight started outside the bar but the heavies came out and stopped it.
Heavy
A newspaper of the quality press.
Heavy
(aviation) A relatively large multi-engined aircraft.
Heavy
(often with "up") To make heavier.
They piled their goods on the donkey's back, heavying up an already backbreaking load.
Heavy
To sadden. en
Heavy
To use power or wealth to exert influence on, e.g., governments or corporations; to pressure.
The union was well known for the methods it used to heavy many businesses.
Heavy
Having the heaves.
Heavy
Heaved or lifted with labor; not light; weighty; ponderous; as, a heavy stone; hence, sometimes, large in extent, quantity, or effects; as, a heavy fall of rain or snow; a heavy failure; heavy business transactions, etc.; often implying strength; as, a heavy barrier; also, difficult to move; as, a heavy draught.
Heavy
Not easy to bear; burdensome; oppressive; hard to endure or accomplish; hence, grievous, afflictive; as, heavy yokes, expenses, undertakings, trials, news, etc.
The hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod.
The king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make.
Sent hither to impart the heavy news.
Trust him not in matter of heavy consequence.
Heavy
Laden with that which is weighty; encumbered; burdened; bowed down, either with an actual burden, or with care, grief, pain, disappointment.
The heavy [sorrowing] nobles all in council were.
A light wife doth make a heavy husband.
Heavy
Slow; sluggish; inactive; or lifeless, dull, inanimate, stupid; as, a heavy gait, looks, manners, style, and the like; a heavy writer or book.
Whilst the heavy plowman snores.
Of a heavy, dull, degenerate mind.
Neither [is] his ear heavy, that it can not hear.
Heavy
Strong; violent; forcible; as, a heavy sea, storm, cannonade, and the like.
Heavy
Loud; deep; - said of sound; as, heavy thunder.
But, hark! that heavy sound breaks in once more.
Heavy
Dark with clouds, or ready to rain; gloomy; - said of the sky.
Heavy
Impeding motion; cloggy; clayey; - said of earth; as, a heavy road, soil, and the like.
Heavy
Not raised or made light; as, heavy bread.
Heavy
Not agreeable to, or suitable for, the stomach; not easily digested; - said of food.
Heavy
Having much body or strength; - said of wines, or other liquors.
Heavy
With child; pregnant.
Heavy
Heavily; - sometimes used in composition; as, heavy-laden.
Heavy
To make heavy.
Heavy
An actor who plays villainous roles
Heavy
A serious (or tragic) role in a play
Heavy
Of comparatively great physical weight or density;
A heavy load
Lead is a heavy metal
Heavy mahogony furniture
Heavy
Unusually great in degree or quantity or number;
Heavy taxes
A heavy fine
Heavy casualties
Heavy losses
Heavy rain
Heavy traffic
Heavy
Of the military or industry; using (or being) the heaviest and most powerful armaments or weapons or equipment;
Heavy artillery
Heavy infantry
A heavy cruiser
Heavy guns
Heavy industry involves large-scale production of basic products (such as steel) used by other industries
Heavy
Having or suggesting a viscous consistency;
Heavy cream
Heavy
Wide from side to side;
A heavy black mark
Heavy
Marked by great psychological weight; weighted down especially with sadness or troubles or weariness;
A heavy heart
A heavy schedule
Heavy news
A heavy silence
Heavy eyelids
Heavy
Usually describes a large person who is fat but has a large frame to carry it
Heavy
(used of soil) compact and fine-grained;
The clayey soil was heavy and easily saturated
Heavy
Darkened by clouds;
A heavy sky
Heavy
Of great intensity or power or force;
A heavy blow
The fighting was heavy
Heavy seas
Heavy
(physics, chemistry) being or containing an isotope with greater than average atomic mass or weight;
Heavy hydrogen
Heavy water
Heavy
(of an actor or role) being or playing the villain;
Iago is the heavy role in `Othello'
Heavy
Permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter;
Dense smoke
Heavy fog
Impenetrable gloom
Heavy
Made of fabric having considerable thickness;
A heavy coat
Heavy
Of a drinker or drinking; indulging intemperately;
Does a lot of hard drinking
A heavy drinker
Heavy
Prodigious;
Big spender
Big eater
Heavy investor
Heavy
Used of syllables or musical beats
Heavy
Full and loud and deep;
Heavy sounds
A herald chosen for his sonorous voice
Heavy
Of great gravity or crucial import; requiring serious thought;
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
Heavy
Slow and laborious because of weight;
The heavy tread of tired troops
Moved with a lumbering sag-bellied trot
Ponderous prehistoric beasts
A ponderous yawn
Heavy
Large and powerful; especially designed for heavy loads or rough work;
A heavy truck
Heavy machinery
Heavy
Dense or inadequately leavened and hence likely to cause distress in the alimentary canal;
A heavy pudding
Heavy
Sharply inclined;
A heavy grade
Heavy
Full of; bearing great weight;
Trees heavy with fruit
Vines weighed down with grapes
Heavy
Requiring or showing effort;
Heavy breathing
The subject made for labored reading
Heavy
Characterized by toilsome effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort;
Worked their arduous way up the mining valley
A grueling campaign
Hard labor
Heavy work
Heavy going
Spent many laborious hours on the project
Set a punishing pace
Heavy
Lacking lightness or liveliness;
Heavy humor
A leaden conversation
Heavy
(of sleep) deep and complete;
A heavy sleep
Fell into a profound sleep
A sound sleeper
Deep wakeless sleep
Heavy
In an advanced stage of pregnancy;
Was big with child
Was great with child
Heavy
Slowly as if burdened by much weight;
Time hung heavy on their hands
Heavy
Having great weight.
The boulder was too heavy to move.
FAQs
Can heavyish describe a person?
Yes, e.g., "He felt heavyish after a big meal."
Can heavyish be used in formal writing?
It's less common in formal contexts, where precise terms are preferred.
Is heavyish commonly used?
Yes, in casual contexts to describe something moderately heavy.
What is heavier, heavyish or heavy?
Heavy is definitively heavier than heavyish.
Does heavyish imply exact weight?
No, it implies a subjective, moderate heaviness.
Can an object be both heavy and heavyish?
It depends on the context; generally, it should be one or the other.
Does heavy mean the same in all contexts?
Yes, it consistently denotes substantial weight.
Is heavy used in physics?
Yes, to describe mass and weight properties.
What does heavyish mean?
Heavyish means somewhat heavy, indicating moderate weight.
Is heavy used in a figurative sense?
Yes, e.g., "a heavy workload."
How do you use heavyish in a sentence?
e.g., "The box was heavyish but manageable."
Is heavyish negative?
Not necessarily, it can be neutral or positive depending on context.
Can you say something is heavyish in comparison?
Yes, e.g., "The lighter bag felt heavyish after carrying the heavy one."
Is heavyish used in technical descriptions?
Rarely, as it is subjective and imprecise.
Is heavy always objective?
Generally, yes, indicating a clear substantial weight.
Can heavy describe emotions?
Yes, e.g., "She felt a heavy sadness."
Is heavyish subjective?
Yes, it relies on personal judgment.
Can heavy be used for abstract concepts?
Yes, e.g., "a heavy topic."
Is heavyish regional?
No, it's used broadly in English.
Can heavyish describe liquids?
Yes, e.g., "The soup felt heavyish with chunks."
About Author
Written by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
Co-written by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
