right-handed

American  

[rahyt-han-did] / ˈraɪtˈhæn dɪd /

adjective

1. having the right hand or arm more serviceable than the left; using the right hand by preference.

   a right-handed painter.

2. adapted to or performed by the right hand.

   a right-handed lever; right-handed penmanship.

3. Machinery.

   1. rotating clockwise.

   2. noting a helical, or spiral, member, as a gear tooth or screw thread, that twists clockwise as it recedes from an observer.

4. Building Trades. right-hand.

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adverb

1. in a right-handed manner or fashion.

   The door opens right-handed.

2. with the right hand.

   She writes right-handed.

3. toward the right hand or in a clockwise direction.

   The strands of the rope are laid right-handed.

right-handed British  

adjective

1. using the right hand with greater skill or ease than the left

2. performed with the right hand

   right-handed writing

3. made for use by the right hand

4. worn on the right hand

5. turning from left to right; clockwise

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Other Word Forms

• right-handedness
  noun
• right-handedly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of right-handed

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

right-handed

A right-handed screw fits a right-handed thread, while a left-handed screw does not.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

Alongside Shafali, the left and right-handed combination troubled England's bowlers.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

In a pair of corresponding moves, the Dodgers optioned right-handed reliever Paul Gervase to triple-A Oklahoma City and released left-hander Jake Eder.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

Make everything as usable for left-handed people as is it for right-handed people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

Because my navel was an “innie” and not an “outie,” and because I was left-handed and not right-handed, I was destined to become the sage in the family, and someday would do something great.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane