heavily

/ˈhɛvɪli/

/ˈhɛvɪli/

Anything that happens heavily is weighty, extensive, or labored. A car falling off its jack will crash heavily to the ground, and if you are a new runner, you'll be breathing heavily after the first mile.

Sometimes the adverb heavily simply describes the action of something heavy — like kids' feet pounding heavily up the stairs, or an airplane landing heavily on the runway. There's also the "large amount" or "a lot" meaning, like when rain falls heavily or a director is heavily influenced by the cartoons of her childhood. Breathing heavily, on the other hand, means "with effort."

Definitions of heavily

1. adverb

   slowly as if burdened by much weight
   synonyms: heavy
2. adverb

   in a heavy-footed manner
   “he walked heavily up the three flights to his room”
3. adverb

   with great force
   “she hit her arm heavily against the wall”
4. adverb

   in a labored manner
   “he breathed heavily”
5. adverb

   in a manner designed for heavy duty
   “a heavily constructed car”

   “heavily armed”
6. adverb

   to a considerable degree
   “he relied heavily on others' data”

   synonyms: to a great extent
7. adverb

   indulging excessively
   “he drank heavily”

   synonyms: hard, intemperately

   antonyms:

   lightly

   indulging with temperance