Heavier

Heavier is the comparative form of the adjective heavy. It describes something with more weight or greater mass, and it can also indicate higher density or greater intensity in non-physical contexts. In everyday usage, heavier is used to compare two objects or situations, as in “The suitcase is heavier than the backpack” or “The rain is heavier today.”

In physics, weight is the force exerted by gravity on a mass, calculated as weight = mass × gravity. Because mass is intrinsic to an object while gravity varies by location, an object can be heavier in one place and lighter in another. For example, a 10 kg mass weighs about 98 newtons on Earth but only about 16 newtons on the Moon. While heavier primarily refers to weight, it can also describe greater density, larger quantities, or more intense phenomena in everyday language, such as a heavier workload or heavier traffic.

Origin and usage notes: heavy comes from Old English hefig, with the comparative form formed using the suffix -er. The standard opposite of heavier is lighter, the comparative form of light. Heavier is a versatile descriptor used across physics, everyday measurement, and figurative speech to convey greater heaviness, mass, or impact.