rightly

[ rahyt-lee ]

adverb

1. in accordance with truth or fact; correctly:

   to see rightly; to understand rightly.

2. in accordance with morality or equity; uprightly.
3. properly, fitly, or suitably:

   to be rightly dressed.

4. Informal. with certainty; positively:

   I can't rightly say.

rightly

/ ˈraɪtlɪ /

adverb

1. in accordance with the facts; correctly
2. in accordance with principles of justice or morality
3. with good reason; justifiably

   he was rightly annoyed with her

4. properly or suitably; appropriately

   rightly dressed for a wedding

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of rightly¹

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

Example Sentences

Wars have traditionally been a job for Big Government, and rightly so.

From Fortune

Still, there’s a fear that other founders may be spooked, rightly or wrongly.

From Digiday

Your impulse now is to stop the abuse directed at you and your children, rightly, but stopping the abuse on others’ behalf as well as your own is the side the angels are on.

From Washington Post

The ball hit the ground and the Chargers’ would-be game-winning TD catch was rightly overturned.

From Washington Post

On the other hand, if you held it up to someone and said, “Look at this jiggling mass of balls and springs, it’s alive,” they would just laugh at you, and rightly so.

From Nautilus

Bonauto, now an official MacArthur genius, is rightly known as the Thurgood Marshall of the marriage movement.

From The Daily Beast

Modern conservatives rightly (as it were) define themselves against the culture at large; hipsters seek to do so as well.

From The Daily Beast

The sex workers I spoke with rightly call it “vile,” “gross,” “terrifying,” and “exploitative.”

From The Daily Beast

He stated—quite rightly—that animals are never mentioned in connection with eternal life in the Bible.

From The Daily Beast

The pictures of Gilkes emphasize, quite rightly and inevitably, his classic good looks.

From The Daily Beast

The rightly cultivated expressive voice is the man—speaking.

From Project Gutenberg

Men cannot see the world clearly and they cannot, therefore, begin to think about it rightly.

From Project Gutenberg

The single employer rightly knows that there is a wage higher than he can pay and hours shorter than he can grant.

From Project Gutenberg

And every human being born upon the world represents a power of work that, rightly directed, more than supplies his wants.

From Project Gutenberg

Malcolm guessed rightly that Mr. Tucker was the judge at that station, but he must not betray ignorance.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accurately
• appropriately
• correctly
• exactly
• fairly
• justly
• properly
• truly