right

[rahyt]

adjective, right·er, right·est.

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

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

correct in judgment, opinion, or action.

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

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

of, relating to, or located on or near the side of a person or thing that is turned toward the east when the subject is facing north (opposed to left).

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

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

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

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

(often initial capital letter) of or relating to political conservatives or their beliefs.

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

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

straight: a right line.

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

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.

genuine; authentic: the right owner.

noun

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

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.

adherence or obedience to moral and legal principles and authority.

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

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

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.

the property itself or its value.

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.

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

the state or quality or an instance of being correct.

the side that is normally opposite to that where the heart is; the direction toward that side: to turn to the right.

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

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

(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?

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

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.
the position held by these people: The Depression led to a movement away from the Right.Compare left¹(defs 6a, b).
right wing.

(usually initial capital letter) 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.

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

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

Baseball. right field.

adverb

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

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

immediately; promptly: right after dinner.

exactly; precisely: right here.

correctly or accurately: to guess right.

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

properly or fittingly: to behave right.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

to redress, as a wrong.

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

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

Origin of right

before 900; (noun and adj.) 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; (v.) Middle English righten, Old English rihtan, cognate with Old Frisian riuchta, German richten, Old Norse rētta; (adv.) Middle English; Old English rihte

SYNONYMS FOR right

1. equitable, fair, honest, lawful. 2. accurate, true. 4. fit, seemly. 5. proper. 10. obverse. 17. rightful. 21. morality, virtue, justice, fairness, integrity, equity, rectitude. 43. rightfully, lawfully, rightly, justly, fairly, equitably. 44. appropriately, suitably.

ANTONYMS FOR right

1–5, 10, 21. wrong.

Related formsright·a·ble, adjectivehalf-right, adjective, nounun·right·a·ble, adjectiveun·right·ed, adjective

Can be confusedright righteous rightfulright rite wright write

Usage note

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for right and left

right

adjective

in accordance with accepted standards of moral or legal behaviour, justice, etcright conduct

in accordance with fact, reason, or truth; correct or truethe right answer

appropriate, suitable, fitting, or properthe right man for the job

most favourable or convenient; preferredthe right time to act

in a satisfactory condition; orderlythings are right again now

indicating or designating the correct timethe clock is right

correct in opinion or judgment

sound in mind or body; healthy or sane

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

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

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

(sometimes capital) conservative or reactionarythe right wing of the party

geometry

formed by or containing a line or plane perpendicular to another line or plane
having the axis perpendicular to the basea right circular cone
straighta right line

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

informal (intensifier)a right idiot

in one's right mind sane

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

the right side of

in favour withyou'd better stay on the right side of him
younger thanshe's still on the right side of fifty

adverb

too right Australian and NZ informal an exclamation of agreement

in accordance with correctness or truth; accuratelyto guess right

in the appropriate manner; properlydo it right next time!

in a straight line; directlyright to the top

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

absolutely or completely; utterlyhe went right through the floor

all the waythe bus goes right to the city centre

without delay; immediately or promptlyI'll be right over

exactly or preciselyright here

in a manner consistent with a legal or moral code; justly or righteouslydo right by me

in accordance with propriety; fittingly or suitablyit serves you right

to good or favourable advantage; wellit all came out right in the end

(esp in religious titles) most or veryright reverend

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

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

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

noun

any claim, title, etc, that is morally just or legally granted as allowable or due to a personI know my rights

anything that accords with the principles of legal or moral justice

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

Irish an obligation or dutyyou had a right to lock the door

the right side, direction, position, area, or partthe right of the army; look to the right

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)

boxing

a punch with the right hand
the right hand

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

by right or by rights properly; justlyby rights you should be in bed

in one's own right having a claim or title oneself rather than through marriage or other connectiona peeress in her own right

to rights consistent with justice, correctness, or orderly arrangementhe put the matter to rights

verb (mainly tr)

(also intr) to restore to or attain a normal, esp an upright, positionthe raft righted in a few seconds

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

to restore to an orderly state or condition; put right

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

an expression of agreement or compliance

Derived Formsrighter, noun

Word Origin for right

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

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

Word Origin and History for right and left

right

adj.1

"morally correct," Old English riht "just, good, fair; proper, fitting; straight, not bent, direct, erect," from Proto-Germanic *rekhtaz (cf. Old Frisian riucht "right," Old Saxon reht, Middle Dutch and Dutch recht, Old High German reht, German recht, Old Norse rettr, Gothic raihts), from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," also "to rule, to lead straight, to put right" (see regal; cf. Greek orektos "stretched out, upright;" Latin rectus "straight, right;" Old Persian rasta- "straight, right," aršta- "rectitude;" Old Irish recht "law;" Welsh rhaith, Breton reiz "just, righteous, wise").

Cf. slang straight (adj.1) "honest, morally upright," and Latin rectus "right," literally "straight," Lithuanian teisus "right, true," literally "straight." Greek dikaios "just" (in the moral and legal sense) is from dike "custom." As an emphatic, meaning "you are right," it is recorded from 1580s; use as a question meaning "am I not right?" is from 1961. The sense in right whale is "justly entitled to the name." Right stuff "best human ingredients" is from 1848, popularized by Tom Wolfe's 1979 book about the first astronauts. Right of way is attested from 1767. Right angle is from late 14c.

right

adj.2

"opposite of left," early 12c., riht, from Old English riht, which did not have this sense but meant "good, proper, fitting, straight" (see right (adj.1)). The notion is of the right hand as the "correct" hand. The usual Old English word for this was swiþra, literally "stronger." "The history of words for 'right' and 'left' shows that they were used primarily with reference to the hands" [Buck]. Cf. similar sense evolution in Dutch recht, German recht "right (not left)," from Old High German reht, which meant only "straight, just."

The usual PIE root (*dek-) is represented by Latin dexter (see dexterity). Other derivations on a similar pattern to English right are French droit, from Latin directus "straight;" Lithuanian labas, literally "good;" and Slavic words (Bohemian pravy, Polish prawy, Russian pravyj) from Old Church Slavonic pravu, literally "straight," from PIE *pro-, from root *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per).

The political sense of "conservative" is first recorded 1794 (adj.), 1825 (n.), a translation of French Droit "the Right, Conservative Party" in the French National Assembly (1789; see left (adj.)).

right

Old English rihtan "to straighten, rule, set up, set right, amend; guide, govern; restore, replace," from riht (adj.); see right (adj.1). Cf. Old Norse retta "to straighten," Old Saxon rihtian, Old Frisian riuchta, German richten, Gothic garaihtjan. Related: Righted; righting.

right

Old English riht (West Saxon, Kentish), reht (Anglian), "that which is morally right, duty, obligation," also "rule of conduct; law of a land;" also "what someone deserves; a just claim, what is due; correctness, truth; a legal entitlement, a privilege," from the root of right (adj.1). Meaning "the right" (as opposed to the left) is from mid-13c.; political use from 1825. From early 14c. as "a right action, a good deed." Meaning "a blow with the right fist" is from 1898. The phrase to rights "at once, straightway" is 1660s, from sense "in a proper manner" (Middle English).

right

adv.

Old English rehte, rihte "in a straight or direct manner," from right (adj.1). Right on! as an exclamation of approval first recorded 1925 in black slang, popularized mid-1960s by Black Panther movement.

Idioms and Phrases with right and left

right and left

In or from all directions, on every side, as in Questions were coming right and left, or She was giving orders right and left. This idiom, first recorded in 1839, uses the directions right and left to signify all sides.

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

right

adjective, right·er, right·est.

noun

adverb

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

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

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of right

Usage note

right

adjective

adverb

noun

verb (mainly tr)

sentence substitute

interjection

Word Origin for right

right

right

right

right

right

right and left

right