Jump To:

• all right
  all right

  adverb

  yes; very well; OK.
• all-right
  all-right

  adjective

  agreeable, acceptable, or commendable.

all right

¹ American  

[awl rahyt, awl rahyt] / ˌɔl ˈraɪt, ˈɔl ˈraɪt /

adverb

1. yes; very well; OK.

   All right, I'll go with you.

2. (used as an interrogative or interrogative tag) OK?; do you agree?.

   We'll deal with this problem tomorrow, all right?

3. satisfactorily; acceptably.

   His work is coming along all right.

4. without fail; certainly.

   You'll hear about this, all right!

---

adjective

1. safe; sound.

   Are you all right?

2. satisfactory; acceptable.

   His performance was all right, but I've seen better.

3. Informal. reliable; good.

   That fellow is all right.

idioms

1. (a) bit of all right, quite satisfactory (used as an understatement).

   The way he saved that child's life was a bit of all right.

all-right ² American  

[awl-rahyt] / ˈɔlˌraɪt /

adjective

Informal.

1. agreeable, acceptable, or commendable.

   an all-right plan.

---

all right British  

adjective

1. adequate; satisfactory

2. unharmed; safe

3. slang

   1. acceptable

      an all-right book

   2. reliable

      an all-right guy

---

1. very well: used to express assent

adverb

1. satisfactorily; adequately

   the car goes all right

2. without doubt

   he's a bad one, all right

all right More Idioms  

1. Completely correct, as in You have a perfect score—your answers are all right . (It could just as well be put as “all your answers are right.”)

2. In proper or working order, in a satisfactory way, as in The engine is running all right now . [Late 1800s] Also see turn out all right .

3. In good health, as in John had the flu, but he's all right now . [Early 1900s]

4. Not injured, safe, as in It was just a minor accident and everyone is all right . [Early 1900s]

5. Very well, yes, as in Do you want to leave now?—All right , or All right, we'll stay home . [First half of 1800s] Also see all right with you .

6. Certainly, without a doubt, as in It's late all right, but it will probably come today . [Mid-1800s]

7. Hurrah! Good for you, as in All right! your team has done it again! [ Slang ; mid-1900s]

8. Also, all-right . Good, satisfactory. For example, This restaurant is all right , or Harry is an all-right guy . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]

---

Spelling

See alright.

Etymology

Origin of all right¹

First recorded in 1100–50; originally an adverbial phrase; compare Middle English al ri(g)ht “indeed, straightway, at once,” late Old English eall riht “just (as)”

Origin of all-right²

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

“Sixty Minutes” is a rare network news show, all right.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

A smaller agency is better than none at all, right?

From Slate • May 21, 2026

Inflation has risen all right, and higher gas prices are putting a strain on U.S. households.

From MarketWatch • May 9, 2026

Cody Johnson opened his headlining set Friday night by promising to “bring a little Texas to California if that’s all right with y’all.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026

“Jonah! Jonah, are you all right in there?”

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix