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mighty

adj. · adv.
US //ˈmaɪti// UK //mˈaɪti// mighty
  1. 1 powerful or strong (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    having great power, strength, or importance.

    possessing great physical strength, political power, or social influence.

    Example

    The mighty river carved a deep canyon through the rock over millions of years.

    Example

    The empire fell not to a mighty army, but to a series of internal economic failures and administrative corruption.
  2. 2 very large (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    very big or impressive in size.

    notable for its great size, volume, or physical scale.

    Example

    He took a mighty swing at the ball and hit it over the fence.

    Example

    With one mighty heave, the workers managed to shift the fallen timber away from the blocked entrance.
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  1. 3 very (adv.)
    C1 Advanced Informal Dialect

    you use this to mean 'very' when you want to sound casual or old-fashioned.

    functions as an intensifier meaning 'to a high degree'; typically restricted to colloquial or regional speech patterns.

    Example

    That was a mighty fine meal you cooked for us tonight.

    Example

    The locals were mighty suspicious of any outsiders who arrived in town without a clear explanation for their visit.

    Usage

    Always placed immediately before the adjective it modifies.

    Teacher's tip

    This adverbial use is common in American Southern dialects and older literature; it may sound out of place in modern professional writing.
Origin

From Middle English mighty, mightie, mighti, myghty, miȝty, maȝty, from Old English mihtiġ, mehtiġ, meahtiġ, mæhtiġ (“mighty”), from Proto-West Germanic mahtīg (“mighty”), from Proto-Germanic mahtīgaz (“mighty”), equivalent to might + -y. Cognate with Scots michty, mychty, Saterland Frisian machtich, Dutch machtig, German Low German machtig, German mächtig, Swedish mäktig.

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