mighty
Very; a plain Southern way to turn up the volume on a word.
Updated September 24, 2026
mighty pronunciation
/MY-tee/
Meaning
Used like "very" or "really" in front of an adjective or feeling. Mighty glad, mighty cold, mighty proud. In redneck and rural Southern talk it doesn't mean powerful so much as it means you're leaning hard on whatever comes next. Sits in the same toolbox as right, plumb, and awful when folks want emphasis without fancy words.
How folks use it
- “We're mighty glad you stopped by.”
- “That creek gets mighty cold after sundown.”
Origin and etymology
English has used mighty as an intensifier for centuries. DARE marks the "very" sense as especially common in the South and South Midland. By the early 1800s, travelers were already noting how often Southerners said things like mighty cold and mighty fine. The habit stuck hard in rural Southern and Appalachian speech.
Frequently asked questions
Does mighty mean strong here?
Not usually. In this sense it's just "very." Save the power reading for when somebody talks about a mighty oak or a mighty engine.