mächtig

mightily, terribly (colloquial intensifier)

adverb MEKH-tikh Rare

Also means

powerfully

Usage Note

mächtig as an adverbial intensifier is colloquial and informal: mächtig stolz, mächtig aufgeregt. It amplifies to an impressive degree and is common in everyday speech and informal writing.

Examples

"Die Kinder waren mächtig aufgeregt vor der Bescherung."

Natural Translation

The children were terribly excited before the gift-giving.

Literal Translation

The children were mightily excited before the gift-giving.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Cases Explained Simply (4 Cases)

German has four cases, and each answers one question: wer, wen, wem, wessen. Learn nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive without drowning in charts.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Colors: Names, Shades, and Idioms

German colors are adjectives that take endings — say das rote Auto, not das rot Auto. Get the names, shades, the das-Rot rule, and 14 color idioms.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Umlauts & ß: Sounds and Typing

Pronounce ä, ö, ü with the front-tongue, rounded-lips rule, master the ß vs ss spelling, and type every German umlaut on Mac, Windows, and phone.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Compound Words: How to Read Any Long Word

Read any long German word by working right-to-left: the last noun sets the meaning and gender, and the small linking letters are just glue. Here's the drill.

June 9, 2026 6 min read