rightly

[ rahyt-lee ]

/ ˈraɪt li /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rightly ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

in accordance with truth or fact; correctly: to see rightly; to understand rightly.

in accordance with morality or equity; uprightly.

properly, fitly, or suitably: to be rightly dressed.

Informal. with certainty; positively: I can't rightly say.

Nearby words

rightful, righting reflex, rightish, rightism, rightist, rightly, rightness, righto, rights, rights issue, rightsize

Origin of rightly

before 900; Middle English; Old English rihtlīce. See right, -ly

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

Examples from the Web for rightly

Bonauto, now an official MacArthur genius, is rightly known as the Thurgood Marshall of the marriage movement.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sex workers I spoke with rightly call it “vile,” “gross,” “terrifying,” and “exploitative.”
To Catch a Sex Worker: A&E’s Awful, Exploitative Ambush Show|Samantha Allen|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Waivers were also encouraged by states and the federal government who saw them, rightly, as a cost-cutting measure.
Medicaid Will Give You Money for At-Home Care, but You Might Wait Years|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It rightly blames both Israeli and Palestinian intransigence for its failure.
Why’s Al Qaeda So Strong? Washington Has (Literally) No idea|Bruce Riedel|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Levin rightly disparages the “nostalgia” that he says “blinds” both liberals and conservatives to this new reality.
Relax—Both Parties Are Going Extinct|Nick Gillespie|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Alice darted a keen look on the Duke, as if to read his meaning; another on Charles, to know whether she had guessed it rightly.
Peveril of the Peak|Sir Walter Scott
I leave this as a testimony that none need to fear his rightly sending forth those who ask and rightly wait for his counsel.
Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel|John Yeardley
Rightly shall all wars fated to come sink to peace beneath the line of Assaracus; nor art thou bounded in a Troy.'
The Aeneid of Virgil|Virgil
To prove that tobacco, rightly used, is harmless, is to prove that it does pay to smoke.
Tobacco and Alcohol|John Fiske
Others, although but moderately endowed, have arrived at eminence by sheer persistence and rightly directed study.
Style in Singing|W. E. Haslam

British Dictionary definitions for rightly

rightly

/ (ˈraɪtlɪ) /

adverb

in accordance with the facts; correctly

in accordance with principles of justice or morality

with good reason; justifiablyhe was rightly annoyed with her

properly or suitably; appropriatelyrightly dressed for a wedding

(used with a negative) informal with certainty; positively or precisely (usually in the phrases I don't rightly know, I can't rightly say)

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