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.
The “Magnificent Seven” group of magacap tech stocks have contributed mightily to the S&P 500’s returns since the current bull market began in late 2022.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026
The United States, on the other hand, is flailing mightily.
From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026
Now they are targeting the Olympic title that has so far eluded them, although they came mightily close in 2022, losing to Sweden in the gold medal match.
From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026
Exhibit A is Kraft Heinz: The food giant has struggled mightily.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
I worked mightily to think about anything other than Jeffrey’s gushing nose, but the distractions were truly pointless.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
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.
