weighty

/ˈweɪti/ (bre, ipa) · [wˈeti] /ˈweɪti/ (ame, ipa) · [wˈeti] /ˈwā-tē How to pronounce weighty (audio)/ (ame, mw)

weighty — adjective

  • weightypositive
  • weightiercomparative
  • weightiestsuperlative

1. A weighty subject, decision, or responsibility is important and serious, requiri

1.形容詞B2
釋義

A weighty subject, decision, or responsibility is important and serious, requiring careful thought and carrying significant consequences.

例句

The board of directors faced a weighty decision about whether to sell the company.

collocation: weighty + decision

Kwame's professor assigned a weighty research paper that required months of work in the library.

同義詞
  • important

    the most neutral and widely used alternative; weighty adds a sense of gravity

  • significant

    focuses on measurable impact rather than moral or emotional seriousness

  • serious

    overlaps considerably; 'serious' is more common in everyday speech

  • momentous

    suggests historic or far-reaching importance; stronger and more formal than weighty

反義詞
  • trivial

    describes something of very little importance

  • insignificant

    suggests something is too small to matter

文法句型

weighty + abstract noun (decision, matter, responsibility, subject)

用法筆記

Usually placed before the noun it modifies (attributive position). Although 'weighty' can be used predicatively — e.g. 'The issue is weighty' — this is noticeably less common. The most frequent noun partners are abstract: 'decision', 'matter', 'responsibility', 'subject', 'issue'.

常見錯誤

❌I have a weighty cold today.
✅I have a bad cold today.
💡'Weighty' does not mean 'severe' for illnesses or everyday problems; use 'serious' or 'bad' instead.
❌She has a weighty amount of homework.
✅She has a heavy workload.
💡For everyday quantities, 'heavy' is the natural choice, not 'weighty'.

2. Something that is weighty feels heavy when you lift or carry it, often because i

2.形容詞B2
釋義

Something that is weighty feels heavy when you lift or carry it, often because it is dense or made of a solid material.

例句

The box was packed with dense reference volumes, so it felt weighty when Arun tried to lift it alone.

collocation: weighty + noun phrase (box of books / suitcase / bag)

Elena struggled to lift the weighty suitcase onto the luggage rack above her seat.

同義詞
  • heavy

    the standard everyday word; weighty is more formal

  • hefty

    suggests large size and weight simultaneously

  • substantial

    focuses on solidness and firmness rather than just heaviness

反義詞
  • light

    the direct opposite of heavy in weight

  • lightweight

    emphasises being easy to carry or made of light materials

文法句型

weighty + noun

be + weighty

用法筆記

More formal and less frequent than the everyday word 'heavy'. In casual conversation, speakers usually prefer 'heavy' for describing physical weight.

常見錯誤

❌The bag was weighty, so I carried it with one hand.
✅The bag was heavy, so I used both hands.
💡'Heavy' is the natural choice for everyday physical weight; 'weighty' sounds overly formal in this context.