mightily
Americanadverb
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in a mighty manner; powerfully or vigorously.
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to a great extent or degree; very much.
to desire something mightily.
adverb
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to a great extent, amount, or degree
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with might; powerfully or vigorously
Usage
What does mightily mean? Mightily means with might—great strength or power. To do something mightily is to do it in a strong or powerful way. Mightily is the adverb form of the adjective mighty, which means extremely strong (as in a mighty warrior) or powerful (as in a mighty king). Sometimes, mighty is used as a very informal way of saying very or extremely, and mightily can be used in a similar way to mean very or very much, as in I’m mightily impressed. This use of mightily can sound a bit old-fashioned or folksy. Example: He ruled mightily, and his empire extended to the ends of the earth.
Etymology
Origin of mightily
before 900; Middle English; Old English mihtiglīce. See mighty, -ly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Powell has absolutely earned a retirement at the time and of the nature of his choosing. He has given mightily to the country,” said David Wilcox, a former senior Fed economist who worked with Powell.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
It’s a stalemate that even a clever strategist would struggle mightily to resolve, and there is no evidence that Vance is an especially strategic thinker.
From Salon • Apr. 27, 2026
It meant that forward William Osula was handed a rare league start and selected ahead of £124m pair Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, having come mightily close to joining Eintracht Frankfurt back in September.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
Our legendary powers of invention and reinvention are being mightily tested, and still, to use Maya Angelou’s phrase, we rise — most of the time.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
Simon lugged it up to the nursery for her and grunted mightily when he put it down.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
