# mighty

/ˈmaɪti/ (US) · /mˈaɪti/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/mighty
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. powerful or strong

adjective · CEFR B2

having great power, strength, or importance.

For teachers: possessing great physical strength, political power, or social influence.

- The mighty river carved a deep canyon through the rock over millions of years.
- The empire fell not to a mighty army, but to a series of internal economic failures and administrative corruption.

### 2. very large

adjective · CEFR B2 · Informal

very big or impressive in size.

For teachers: notable for its great size, volume, or physical scale.

- He took a mighty swing at the ball and hit it over the fence.
- With one mighty heave, the workers managed to shift the fallen timber away from the blocked entrance.

### 3. very

adverb · CEFR C1 · Informal · Dialect

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

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

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

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

## Examples

- The mighty river flows through the center of the valley.
- The small team faced a mighty opponent in the final round of the tournament.
- The ancient oak tree stood as a mighty sentinel against the storm, its deep roots holding firm while younger trees were swept away by the gale.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.