right

[ rahyt ]
See synonyms for: rightrights on Thesaurus.com
adjective,right·er, right·est.

  1. in accordance with what is good, proper, or just: right conduct.

  2. in conformity with fact, reason, truth, or some standard or principle; correct: the right solution;the right answer.

  1. correct in judgment, opinion, or action.

  2. fitting or appropriate; suitable: to say the right thing at the right time.

  3. most convenient, desirable, or favorable: Omaha is the right location for a meatpacking firm.

  4. being, relating to, or located on or nearest to the side opposite to where a person’s heart normally is; the direction toward that side (opposed to left):First base is on the right side of the infield as viewed from home plate. He’s deaf in his right ear.

  5. in a satisfactory state; in good order: to put things right.

  6. sound, sane, or normal: to be in one's right mind;She wasn't right in her head when she made the will.

  7. in good health or spirits: I don't feel quite right today.

  8. principal, front, or upper: the right side of cloth.

  9. Often Right . of or relating to political conservatives or their beliefs.

  10. socially approved, desirable, or influential: to go to the right schools and know the right people.

  11. formed by or with reference to a perpendicular: a right angle.

  12. straight: a right line.

  13. Geometry. having an axis perpendicular to the base: a right cone.

  14. Mathematics. pertaining to an element of a set that has a given property when placed on the right of an element or set of elements of the given set: a right identity.

  15. genuine; authentic: the right owner.

noun

  1. a just claim or title, whether legal, prescriptive, or moral: You have a right to say what you please.

  2. Sometimes rights . that which is due to anyone by just claim, legal guarantees, moral principles, etc.: women's rights;Freedom of speech is a right of all Americans.

  1. adherence or obedience to moral and legal principles and authority.

  2. that which is morally, legally, or ethically proper: to know right from wrong.

  3. a moral, ethical, or legal principle considered as an underlying cause of truth, justice, morality, or ethics.

  4. Sometimes rights . the interest or ownership a person, group, or business has in property: He has a 50-percent right in a silver mine. The author controls the screen rights for the book.

  5. the property itself or its value.

  6. Finance.

    • the privilege, usually preemptive, that accrues to the owners of the stock of a corporation to subscribe to additional shares of stock or securities convertible into stock at an advantageous price.

    • Often rights . the privilege of subscribing to a specified amount of a stock or bond issue, or the document certifying this privilege.

  7. that which is in accord with fact, reason, propriety, the correct way of thinking, etc.

  8. the state or quality or an instance of being correct.

  9. the side opposite to where the observer’s heart is, or something on that side; the direction toward that side:Turn to the right.In the photo below, my sister is on the right.

  10. a right-hand turn: Make a right at the top of the hill.

  11. the portion toward the right, as of troops in battle formation: Our right crumbled.

  12. (in a pair) the member that is shaped for, used by, or situated on the right side: Is this shoe a left or a right?

  13. the right hand: Jab with your left and punch with your right.

  14. the right or the Right .

    • the complex of individuals or organized groups opposing change in a liberal direction and usually advocating maintenance of the established social, political, or economic order.: Compare left1 (def. 6a).

    • the position held by these people: The Depression led to a movement away from the Right.: Compare left1 (def. 6b).

    • right wing. : Compare left wing.

  15. Usually Right . the part of a legislative assembly, especially in continental Europe, that is situated on the right side of the presiding officer and that is customarily assigned to members of the legislature who hold more conservative or reactionary views than the rest of the members.

  16. the members of such an assembly who sit on the Right.

  17. Boxing. a blow delivered by the right hand: a right to the jaw.

  18. Baseball. right field.

adverb

  1. in a straight or direct line; straight; directly: right to the bottom;to come right home.

  2. quite or completely; all the way: My hat was knocked right off.

  1. immediately; promptly: right after dinner.

  2. exactly; precisely: right here.

  3. correctly or accurately: to guess right.

  4. uprightly or righteously: to obey one's conscience and live right.

  5. properly or fittingly: to behave right.

  6. advantageously, favorably, or well: to turn out right.

  7. toward the right hand; on or to the right: to keep right;to turn right.

  8. Archaic or Dialect. very; extremely: a right fine day.

  9. very (used in certain titles): the right reverend.

verb (used with object),right·ed, right·ing.

  1. to put in or restore to an upright position: to right a fallen lamp.

  2. to put in proper order, condition, or relationship: to right a crookedly hung picture.

  1. to bring into conformity with fact; correct: to right one's point of view.

  2. to do justice to; avenge: to be righted in court.

  3. to redress, as a wrong.

verb (used without object),right·ed, right·ing.

  1. to resume an upright or the proper position: After the storm the saplings righted.

Idioms about right

  1. by rights, in fairness; justly: You should by rights have been asked your opinion on the matter.

  2. in one's own right, by reason of one's own ability, ownership, etc.; in or of oneself, as independent of others: He is a rich man in his own right.

  1. in the right, having the support of reason or law; justified; correct: It pays to be stubborn when one is in the right.

  2. right and left, on every side; in all directions: throwing his clothes right and left;members resigning right and left.

  3. right away / off, without hesitation; immediately: She made a good impression right off.

  4. right on, Slang. exactly right; precisely.

  5. too right, Australian Slang.

    • (used as an expression of emphatic agreement.)

    • okay: “Can we meet tonight?” “Too right.”

  6. to rights, into proper condition or order: to set a room to rights.

Origin of right

1
First recorded before 900; (noun and adjective) Middle English; Old English reht, riht; cognate with Dutch, German recht, Old Norse rēttr, Gothic raihts; akin to Latin rēctus, Old Irish recht “law,” Greek orektós “upright”; (verb) Middle English righten, Old English rihtan, cognate with Old Frisian riuchta, German richten, Old Norse rētta; (adverb) Middle English; Old English rihte

usage note For right

47. Right in the sense of “very, extremely” is either archaic or dialectal. It is most common in informal speech and writing: It's right cold this morning. The editor knew right well where the story had originated.

Other words for right

Opposites for right

1 unfair, unjust, unjustified, unwarranted
2 false, inaccurate, incorrect, untrue, wrong
4 inappropriate, inapt, unapt, unbefitting, unfit, unseemly, unsuitable, wrong; incongruous, infelicitous
21 inequity, unfairness
44 inappropriately, unsuitably
See antonyms for right on Thesaurus.com

Other words from right

  • right·a·ble, adjective
  • half-right, adjective, noun
  • un·right·a·ble, adjective
  • un·right·ed, adjective

Words that may be confused with right

Words Nearby right

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use right in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for right

right

/ (raɪt) /

adjective

  1. in accordance with accepted standards of moral or legal behaviour, justice, etc: right conduct

  2. in accordance with fact, reason, or truth; correct or true: the right answer

  1. appropriate, suitable, fitting, or proper: the right man for the job

  2. most favourable or convenient; preferred: the right time to act

  3. in a satisfactory condition; orderly: things are right again now

  4. indicating or designating the correct time: the clock is right

  5. correct in opinion or judgment

  6. sound in mind or body; healthy or sane

  7. (usually prenominal) of, designating, or located near the side of something or someone that faces east when the front is turned towards the north: Related adjective: dextral

  8. (usually prenominal) worn on a right hand, foot, etc

  9. (sometimes capital) of, designating, supporting, belonging to, or relating to the political or intellectual right (see sense 39)

  10. (sometimes capital) conservative or reactionary: the right wing of the party

  11. geometry

    • formed by or containing a line or plane perpendicular to another line or plane

    • having the axis perpendicular to the base: a right circular cone

    • straight: a right line

  12. relating to or designating the side of cloth worn or facing outwards

  13. informal (intensifier): a right idiot

  14. in one's right mind sane

  15. she'll be right Australian and NZ informal that's all right; not to worry

  16. the right side of

    • in favour with: you'd better stay on the right side of him

    • younger than: she's still on the right side of fifty

adverb

  1. too right Australian and NZ informal an exclamation of agreement

  2. in accordance with correctness or truth; accurately: to guess right

  1. in the appropriate manner; properly: do it right next time!

  2. in a straight line; directly: right to the top

  3. in the direction of the east from the point of view of a person or thing facing north

  4. absolutely or completely; utterly: he went right through the floor

  5. all the way: the bus goes right to the city centre

  6. without delay; immediately or promptly: I'll be right over

  7. exactly or precisely: right here

  8. in a manner consistent with a legal or moral code; justly or righteously: do right by me

  9. in accordance with propriety; fittingly or suitably: it serves you right

  10. to good or favourable advantage; well: it all came out right in the end

  11. (esp in religious titles) most or very: right reverend

  12. informal, or dialect (intensifier): I'm right glad to see you

  13. right, left, and centre on all sides; from every direction

  14. right off the bat informal as the first in a series; to begin with

noun

  1. any claim, title, etc, that is morally just or legally granted as allowable or due to a person: I know my rights

  2. anything that accords with the principles of legal or moral justice

  1. the fact or state of being in accordance with reason, truth, or accepted standards (esp in the phrase in the right)

  2. Irish an obligation or duty: you had a right to lock the door

  3. the right side, direction, position, area, or part: the right of the army; look to the right

  4. the right (often capital) the supporters or advocates of social, political, or economic conservatism or reaction, based generally on a belief that things are better left unchanged (opposed to radical or left)

  5. boxing

    • a punch with the right hand

    • the right hand

  6. finance

    • (often plural) the privilege of a company's shareholders to subscribe for new issues of the company's shares on advantageous terms

    • the negotiable certificate signifying this privilege

  7. by right or by rights properly; justly: by rights you should be in bed

  8. in one's own right having a claim or title oneself rather than through marriage or other connection: a peeress in her own right

  9. to rights consistent with justice, correctness, or orderly arrangement: he put the matter to rights

verb(mainly tr)

  1. (also intr) to restore to or attain a normal, esp an upright, position: the raft righted in a few seconds

  2. to make (something) accord with truth or facts; correct

  1. to restore to an orderly state or condition; put right

  2. to make reparation for; compensate for or redress (esp in the phrase right a wrong)

sentence substitute

    • indicating that a statement has been understood

    • asking whether a statement has been understood

    • indicating a subdividing point within a discourse

interjection

  1. an expression of agreement or compliance

Origin of right

1
Old English riht, reoht; related to Old High German reht, Gothic raihts, Latin rēctus

Derived forms of right

  • righter, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with right

right

In addition to the idioms beginning with right

  • right and left
  • right as rain
  • right away
  • right in the head
  • right off
  • right off the bat
  • right of way
  • right on
  • right out
  • right side of the tracks
  • right side, on someone's
  • right tack
  • right up one's alley

also see:

  • all right
  • all right for you
  • all right with one
  • by rights
  • come (right) out with
  • dead to rights
  • get right
  • give one's eyeteeth (right arm)
  • go right
  • go (right) through one
  • hang a left (right)
  • have a right to
  • have a screw loose (one's head screwed on right)
  • heart in the right place
  • hit (right) between the eyes
  • in one's own right
  • in one's right mind
  • in the right
  • left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing
  • might makes right
  • not right in the head
  • (right) on the money
  • on the right foot
  • on the right tack
  • play one's cards right
  • price is right
  • put right
  • sail (right) through
  • serve one right
  • set right
  • set to rights
  • step in the right direction
  • strike the right note
  • that's right
  • turn out all right
  • two wrongs do not make a right
  • when it comes (right down) to

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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