right stuff

American

noun

Informal.

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:

right stuff

"I thought I'd done all the right stuff and it still happened to me."

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2025

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

While the Dolphins and Ravens couldn’t pull off upsets, Daniel Jones and the New York Giants had the right stuff against the Minnesota Vikings.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 16, 2023

Cha-Cha didn’t have the right stuff for Dog Squad.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023