What does hefty mean?
Hefty describes something large, weighty, or substantial, especially an amount of money, a fee, a fine, a portion, or a dose. In everyday use it often conveys that a quantity is more than expected: a company may charge a hefty fee, or a meal may include a hefty portion. The word can also describe a powerful or forceful blow, though that sense is less central today. Hefty is especially common in informal British and American English. It is generally neutral, but when paired with words such as price or fee it may suggest an excessive or conspicuously large charge rather than merely a sufficient one. Its tone is vivid and slightly emphatic, which makes it useful in journalism and conversation but less suitable than substantial in highly formal prose. Once chiefly associated with physical weight or power, the adjective gradually came to mean large in quantity or amount. That broad development explains its familiar modern use for both physical size and financial scale. The word is memorable because it combines a blunt, physical sense of weight with figurative applications to money, portions, and doses.
adjectiveLarge in size, weight, or amount; substantial. It can also mean strong or powerful, especially in expressions involving force or impact.
- Large in size, weight, or amount, especially when the quantity is substantial or greater than expected.
- Strong, powerful, or forceful, especially in describing a blow, impact, or similar physical force.
"The agency imposed a hefty fine on the company."
"The charity received a hefty donation from local businesses."
"The boxer delivered a hefty blow to his opponent in the final round."
Hefty began as a word for weight and power before expanding to describe everything from enormous meals to eye-watering fees.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hefty come from?
Hefty appeared in early 16th-century English as an adjective meaning weighty or powerful, formed from heft, the older noun for weight or bulk. English heft traces to Old English hefest, from a Germanic root ultimately connected with the Indo-European root *kapt-, meaning to take or seize; the same ultimate root also underlies Latin words such as capture and captive. Over time, hefty broadened from physical weight and power to mean large in size or substantial in amount.
Related word forms
How hefty is actually used
This is an informal word found in both British and American English. It is usually neutral, although words such as price or fee can give it a mildly critical tone by suggesting that the amount is excessive.
Easily confused with hefty
Hefty means large, weighty, or substantial, whereas healthy means in good physical or mental health.
Hefty is an adjective meaning large or substantial, while heft is a noun meaning weight or bulk.