top-heavy

[ top-hev-ee ]

adjective

1. having the top disproportionately heavy; liable to fall from too great weight above.
2. relatively much heavier or larger above the center or waist than below:

   a top-heavy wrestler.

3. Finance.
   1. having a financial structure overburdened with securities that have priority in the payment of dividends.
   2. overcapitalized.

top-heavy

adjective

1. unstable or unbalanced through being overloaded at the top
2. finance (of an enterprise or its capital structure) characterized by or containing too much debt capital in relation to revenue or profit so that too little is left over for dividend distributions; overcapitalized
3. (of a business enterprise) having too many executives

Derived Forms

• ˌtop-ˈheavily, adverb
• ˌtop-ˈheaviness, noun

Other Words From

• top-heavi·ly adverb
• top-heavi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of top-heavy¹

First recorded in 1525–35; top ¹ + heavy

Example Sentences

For long stretches this year, the Dodgers’ offense was glaringly top-heavy.

From Los Angeles Times

But at almost every juncture of his time in Anaheim, the club’s top-heavy roster, perennial injury problems and questionable spending decisions prevented that from happening.

From Los Angeles Times

Indeed, this might be the best path forward for the Dodgers to rectify their top-heavy roster problems.

From Los Angeles Times

Their lineup is still top-heavy, even after the addition of Amed Rosario.

From Los Angeles Times

A third of the 24 teams in the top-heavy Euro field are ranked outside the top 32.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cumbersome
• imbalanced
• overloaded
• unbalanced