# weighty

/ˈweɪˌti/ (US) · /wˈeɪti/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/weighty
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. physically heavy

adjective · CEFR B2

having a lot of weight; heavy and difficult to lift.

For teachers: having considerable physical weight or mass.

- He struggled to carry the weighty boxes up the three flights of stairs.
- The delivery driver required a trolley to move the weighty crates of machinery from the loading dock to the warehouse floor.

### 2. serious or important

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal · Academic

very important and serious; not something to be treated lightly.

For teachers: possessing great significance, influence, or importance; not trivial.

- The committee has a weighty decision to make about the school's future.
- The prime minister addressed several weighty matters of national security during the emergency cabinet meeting this afternoon.

### 3. severe or difficult

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary · Formal

difficult to deal with or causing a lot of worry.

For teachers: burdensome, rigorous, or severe in nature; often used to describe responsibilities or consequences.

- She felt the weighty responsibility of looking after her younger siblings.
- The judge acknowledged the weighty burden of proof required in such a complex criminal litigation.

## Examples

- The old book is very weighty and hard to lift.
- The professor's latest paper is a weighty contribution to the field of economics.
- The treaty was a weighty document, its pages filled with the legal intricacies of a peace that would define the century.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.