What does heftily mean?
Heftily is an adverb meaning with considerable force, weight, or energy, and, by extension, in large amounts or to a significant extent. “She slammed the door heftily” suggests a forceful, heavy movement, while “the project was heftily funded” indicates a large financial contribution. The word gives an emphatic, often slightly old-fashioned or literary tone that makes an action or scale feel especially strong. It is related to hefty, an adjective meaning large, weighty, or substantial, and to heft, an older noun meaning weight or heaviness. Although heftily can often be replaced by heavily or forcefully, it has a distinctive rhythm and intensity that can be useful when the writer wants to emphasize physical force, vigorous action, or the substantial scale of something. It is recognized in both British and American English but is less neutral in style than the more common alternatives.
adverbWith great force, weight, or energy. It can also mean in large amounts or to a considerable extent.
- With great force, weight, or energy.
- In large amounts or to a considerable extent.
"The old oak table was built so heftily that it could withstand generations of use."
"The guard swung the gate heftily shut."
"The charity was heftily funded by a single donor."
Heftily compresses weight, force, and emphatic action into a single adverb: something can be not only heavy, but done with unmistakable force.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does heftily come from?
Heftily was formed in the 19th century by adding the adverb-forming suffix -ly to hefty. Hefty in turn comes from heft, an older word for weight or heaviness, which derives from Old English and ultimately from a Germanic root associated with weight or heft. The related verb heave also has Germanic ancestry and reflects an older sense of lifting or raising something heavy.
How heftily is actually used
Heftily is somewhat literary and emphatic. It is especially common in narrative writing and in phrases involving force, punishment, construction, or substantial amounts.
Easily confused with heftily
Hefty is chiefly an adjective describing great weight, size, or significance, whereas heftily is an adverb describing how forcefully or extensively something is done.