What does capitally mean?
"Capitally" is an adverb meaning excellently or splendidly — doing something in a first-rate manner. It descends from the adjective "capital", which in older English meant not only "relating to the head" or "punishable by death", but also "excellent, chief, first-rate", as in "a capital idea". When a character in a nineteenth-century novel declares that someone has behaved "capitally", they mean the person has acted admirably or done something very well indeed. The word today is chiefly British and distinctly old-fashioned, carrying a faintly quaint, genteel flavour that makes it useful for period dialogue or playful, self-aware formality. A rarer sense relates to capital punishment — that is, treatment involving loss of life — but this usage is uncommon and mostly confined to legal or historical writing. For most readers, encountering "capitally" signals either an author reaching for vintage charm or a direct quotation from an earlier era of English prose.
Excellently, splendidly; in a first-rate manner.
"He acquitted himself capitally in the debate."
Chiefly British and now somewhat dated; connotes genial, old-fashioned approval.
In a manner involving capital punishment or relating to capital.
"The crime was judged deserving of being punished capitally."
Rare; found mainly in legal or historical contexts.
When a Victorian said you'd done something 'capitally,' they meant it was capital — as in first-rate — not that heads were about to roll.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of capitally
"Capitally" derives from the Latin "capitalis", meaning "of the head", formed from "caput" (head), via Old French "capital" into Middle English. From the sense "chief, principal" grew the English adjective's meaning "excellent, first-rate", and "capitally" arose as its adverbial form, attested by around the early seventeenth century. It shares its root with words such as "capital", "capitalize", "capitation", and even "chapter" (from "capitulum", a little head).
Related word forms
How capitally is actually used
The 'excellent' sense is largely British and carries a slightly old-fashioned, drawing-room flavour — the kind of word found in Dickens or Wodehouse rather than everyday modern speech. It derives from the adjective 'capital' in its sense of 'excellent, first-rate', which itself survives in phrases like 'a capital idea'. The sense connected to capital punishment exists but is genuinely rare.
Easily confused with capitally
'Capital' is the adjective or noun meaning excellent, a city, wealth, or punishable by death, while 'capitally' is the adverb describing how something is done.