superheavy
adjective
su·per·heavy
ˌsü-pər-ˈhe-vē 
: extremely heavy
superheavy furniture
superheavy traffic
a superheavy discussion with his mother
especially, chemistry
: relating to or being a chemical element with a greater atomic mass than that of uranium
The existence of superheavy elements, those with many more protons than uranium (proton number 92), was predicted more than 40 years ago. —
Georg Bollen
Georg Bollen
superheavy
noun
plural superheavies
In February the world was treated to a transcontinental eureka moment: Scientists … announced they had discovered two new chemical elements. Called superheavies because of their large atomic mass, elements 113 and 115 lasted little more than a second.
—Elizabeth Svoboda
Elizabeth Svoboda
Examples of superheavy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Firing a calcium beam at different targets is how the superheavy elements 112 to 118 were first synthesized.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 25 July 2024
So far all the superheavy elements humans have managed to make decay almost instantaneously.
—Max Springer, Scientific American, 24 July 2024
Another way to understand superheavy elements is to look for them in space.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 14 May 2024
Even outside superheavy territory, chemists debate the placement of certain elements in the periodic table.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 14 May 2024
Imitating a black hole’s causal powers requires an actual superheavy object, not just computer code.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2023
The researchers’ mathematical analysis showed how any object with mass—and not just a superheavy one such as that of a black hole—affects the pairs of particles and antiparticles that emerge from the vacuum of space.
—Adam Mann, Scientific American, 22 June 2023
Patience is key in the superheavy world because the vast majority of collisions in the reactor produce unwanted nuclei, and a vanishing few, if any, are superheavy elements.
—Adam Hadhazy, Discover Magazine, 22 Jan. 2015
Much technical work remains, but the company appears to be well on its way to delivering a superheavy-lift rocket that is fully reusable, low-cost, and potentially capable of delivering as much as 100 tons to the surface of most bodies in the Solar System.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 1 Dec. 2021
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Michael Irving, New Atlas, 25 July 2024
So far all the superheavy elements humans have managed to make decay almost instantaneously.
—Max Springer, Scientific American, 24 July 2024
Another way to understand superheavy elements is to look for them in space.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 14 May 2024
Even outside superheavy territory, chemists debate the placement of certain elements in the periodic table.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 14 May 2024
Imitating a black hole’s causal powers requires an actual superheavy object, not just computer code.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2023
The researchers’ mathematical analysis showed how any object with mass—and not just a superheavy one such as that of a black hole—affects the pairs of particles and antiparticles that emerge from the vacuum of space.
—Adam Mann, Scientific American, 22 June 2023
Patience is key in the superheavy world because the vast majority of collisions in the reactor produce unwanted nuclei, and a vanishing few, if any, are superheavy elements.
—Adam Hadhazy, Discover Magazine, 22 Jan. 2015
Much technical work remains, but the company appears to be well on its way to delivering a superheavy-lift rocket that is fully reusable, low-cost, and potentially capable of delivering as much as 100 tons to the surface of most bodies in the Solar System.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 1 Dec. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near superheavy
Cite this Entry
“Superheavy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superheavy. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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