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Synonyms

right stuff

American  

noun

Informal.
  1. Usually the right stuff the necessary or ideal qualities or capabilities, as courage, confidence, dependability, toughness, or daring.


Etymology

Origin of right stuff

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

If he was made of the right stuff, then how come Martin benched him against St Mirren last Sunday, against Brugge last Tuesday, against Alloa before that and against Dundee before that?

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2025

Both could be eliminated if leadership made it easy to do the right stuff well.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 31, 2023

The space exploration documentary “It’s Quieter in the Twilight” has some of the right stuff.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2023

Eco-labels, while not perfect, are still a good indicator that you are buying the right stuff.

From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2023

His long-term career goal was to become a detective, and the Mother Paula case was a chance to show he had the right stuff.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

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