Right

/ˈɹaɪt/ adj, adv, intj, name, noun, verb

adj, adv, intj, name, noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: That which complies with justice, law or reason.
  • Grammar: right is listed as adj, adv, intj, name, noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: right wing, a propos, absolute, absolute interest.
  • Useful contrasts: bad, untrue, center.
  • Usage evidence: I found a solution, but I found it so fast that it can't be the right solution.

How to use "right"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "right" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "right" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "right" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "right" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "right" is acting as adj, adv, intj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "right wing" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "right", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    That which complies with justice, law or reason.

    "We're on the side of right in this contest."

  2. 2
    a turn toward the side of the body that is on the south when the person is facing east wordnet
  3. 3
    A legal, just or moral entitlement.

    "You have no right to go through my personal diary."

  4. 4
    the piece of ground in the outfield on the catcher's right wordnet
  5. 5
    The right side or direction.

    "The pharmacy is just on the right past the bookshop."

Show 11 more definitions
  1. 6
    anything in accord with principles of justice wordnet
  2. 7
    The right hand or fist.

    ""Before he could strike again, however, I got in my right, and he was sprawling on his back on the floor.""

  3. 8
    an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature wordnet
  4. 9
    The authority to perform, publish, film, or televise a particular work, event, etc.; a copyright.
  5. 10
    the hand that is on the right side of the body wordnet
  6. 11
    The ensemble of right-wing political parties; political conservatives as a group.

    "The political right holds too much power."

  7. 12
    those who support political or social or economic conservatism; those who believe that things are better left unchanged wordnet
  8. 13
    The outward or most finished surface, as of a coin, piece of cloth, a carpet, etc.

    "Simple cross-stitch, with a space between each stitch, may be worked in two rows, in which case the completed stitch on the wrong sides alternates with that on the right."

  9. 14
    location near or direction toward the right side; i.e. the side to the south when a person or object faces east wordnet
  10. 15
    A wave breaking from right to left (viewed from the shore).
  11. 16
    (frequently plural) the interest possessed by law or custom in some intangible thing wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To correct. transitive

    "Righting all the wrongs of the war immediately will be impossible."

  2. 2
    make right or correct wordnet
  3. 3
    To set upright. transitive

    "The tow-truck righted what was left of the automobile."

  4. 4
    regain an upright or proper position wordnet
  5. 5
    To return to normal upright position. intransitive

    "When the wind died down, the ship righted."

Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    put in or restore to an upright position wordnet
  2. 7
    To do justice to; to relieve from wrong; to restore rights to; to assert or regain the rights of. transitive

    "to right the oppressed"

  3. 8
    make reparations or amends for wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Designating the side of the body which is positioned to the east if one is facing north, the side on which the heart is not located in most humans. This arrow points to the reader's right: →

    "Near-synonym: starboard"

  2. 2
    Clockwise, particularly when describing a change in direction or orientation.

    "The road up ahead contains a right bend."

  3. 3
    Complying with justice, correctness, or reason; correct, just, true. See also the interjection senses below.

    "That's not the right thing to do."

  4. 4
    Appropriate, perfectly suitable; fit for purpose.

    "Is this the right software for my computer?"

  5. 5
    Healthy, sane, competent.

    "I'm afraid my father is no longer in his right mind."

Show 10 more definitions
  1. 6
    Real; veritable (used emphatically).

    "You've made a right mess of the kitchen!"

  2. 7
    Of an angle, measuring 90 degrees, or one quarter of a complete rotation; the angle between two perpendicular lines.

    "The kitchen counter formed a right angle with the back wall."

  3. 8
    Of a geometric figure, incorporating a right angle between edges, faces, axes, etc.

    "a right triangle   a right prism   a right cone"

  4. 9
    Designating the bank of a river (etc.) on one's right when facing downstream (i.e. facing forward while floating with the current); that is, the south bank of a river that flows eastward. If this arrow: ⥴ shows the direction of the current, the tilde is on the right side of the river.

    "The Louvre Museum is on the right bank of the Seine."

  5. 10
    Designed to be placed or worn outward.

    "the right side of a piece of cloth   Begin this stitch on the right side."

  6. 11
    Pertaining to the political right; conservative.
  7. 12
    All right; not requiring assistance. Australia

    "Kirsty: I suppose you're hungry. Would you like something to eat? Ken: No. I'm right, thanks."

  8. 13
    Most favourable or convenient; fortunate. dated

    "The lady has been disappointed on the right side."

  9. 14
    Straight, not bent. archaic

    "a right line"

  10. 15
    Of or relating to the right whale.

    "In the course of the day we saw several large whales of the right species, and innumerable flights of the albatross passed over the vessel."

Adjective
  1. 1
    precisely accurate wordnet
  2. 2
    appropriate for a condition or purpose or occasion or a person's character, needs wordnet
  3. 3
    free from error; especially conforming to fact or truth wordnet
  4. 4
    correct in opinion or judgment wordnet
  5. 5
    most suitable or right for a particular purpose wordnet
Show 10 more definitions
  1. 6
    (informal) very; used informally as an intensifier wordnet
  2. 7
    (of the side of cloth or clothing) facing or intended to face outward wordnet
  3. 8
    having the axis perpendicular to the base wordnet
  4. 9
    socially right or correct wordnet
  5. 10
    in accord with accepted standards of usage or procedure wordnet
  6. 11
    intended for the right hand wordnet
  7. 12
    of or belonging to the political or intellectual right wordnet
  8. 13
    being or located on or directed toward the side of the body to the east when facing north wordnet
  9. 14
    in conformance with justice or law or morality wordnet
  10. 15
    in or into a satisfactory condition wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    On the right side. not-comparable
  2. 2
    Towards the right side. not-comparable
  3. 3
    Exactly, precisely. not-comparable

    "The arrow landed right in the middle of the target."

  4. 4
    Immediately, directly. not-comparable

    "Can't you see it? It's right beside you!"

  5. 5
    Very, extremely, quite. British, US, dialectal, not-comparable

    "I made a right stupid mistake there, didn't I?"

Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    According to fact or truth; actually; truly; really. not-comparable
  2. 7
    In a correct manner. not-comparable

    "Do it right or don't do it at all."

  3. 8
    To a great extent or degree. dated, not-comparable

    "Sir, I am right glad to meet you …"

Adverb
  1. 1
    to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent; Completely or entirely wordnet
  2. 2
    (Southern regional intensive) very; to a great degree wordnet
  3. 3
    in a face down manner wordnet
  4. 4
    immediately wordnet
  5. 5
    an interjection expressing agreement; Yes, you are indeed correct wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    in the right manner; correctly; suitably wordnet
  2. 7
    in an accurate manner wordnet
  3. 8
    precisely, exactly wordnet
  4. 9
    in accordance with moral or social standards wordnet
  5. 10
    toward or on the right; also used figuratively wordnet
Intj
  1. 1
    Yes, that is correct; I agree.

    "Sam Tyler: Look, look, you know when I said I wasn't wrong? Well, I was. But I was right about this not being the IRA. I was right to follow my instincts. Like you said, go with your gut feeling. I'm just taking your lead. Gene Hunt: So I'm right. Sam Tyler: We both are. Gene Hunt: Right. Sam Tyler: Right. Gene Hunt: Just as long as I'm more right than you."

  2. 2
    I have listened to what you just said and I acknowledge your assertion or opinion, regardless of whether I agree with it (opinion) or can verify it (assertion).

    "Sam Tyler: Look, look, you know when I said I wasn't wrong? Well, I was. But I was right about this not being the IRA. I was right to follow my instincts. Like you said, go with your gut feeling. I'm just taking your lead. Gene Hunt: So I'm right. Sam Tyler: We both are. Gene Hunt: Right. Sam Tyler: Right. Gene Hunt: Just as long as I'm more right than you."

  3. 3
    Signpost word to change the subject in a discussion or discourse.

    "— After that interview, I don't think we should hire her. — Right. Who wants lunch?"

  4. 4
    Used to check listener engagement and (especially) agreement at the end of an utterance or each segment thereof.

    "You're going, right?"

  5. 5
    Used to add seriousness or decisiveness before a statement.

    "Withnail: Right […] I'm gonna do the washing up."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    The political right wing seen as a whole, as distinguished from an individual right-wing political party.

    "Many earnest consumers on the Right feel so legitimately embattled by the nonstop streaming feed of hate speech and psyoppery directed at them that they think they have no choice but to reconfigure their artistic sensibilities accordingly."

Synonyms

All synonyms
right winga proposabsoluteabsolute interestabsolute powerabsolutely

Example

"I found a solution, but I found it so fast that it can't be the right solution."

Common questions

What does "right" mean?

That which complies with justice, law or reason.

What is a synonym for "right"?

Common synonyms include: right wing, a propos, absolute, absolute interest, absolute power, absolutely.

How do you use "right" in a sentence?

I found a solution, but I found it so fast that it can't be the right solution.

How do you pronounce "right"?

Pronounced /ˈɹaɪt/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English right, from Old English riht, reht (“right,” also the word for “straight” and “direct”), from Proto-West Germanic *reht, from Proto-Germanic *rehtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós (“having moved in a straight line”), from *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten, direct”). The Germanic adjective which has been used also as a noun since the common Germanic period. Cognates Cognate with West Frisian rjocht (“right”), Dutch recht (“straight”), German recht and Recht (“right”), Luxembourgish Recht, riets (“right”), riicht (“straight”), Yiddish רעכט (rekht, “right”), Danish ret (“right”), Faroese rættur (“right”), Icelandic réttur (“right”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk rett (“right”), Swedish rätt, rät (“right”). The Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek ὀρεκτός (orektós) and Latin rēctus; Albanian drejt was borrowed from Latin.

Etymology 2

From Middle English right, righte, from Old English rihte, rehte (“right; rightly; due; directly; straight”), from Proto-Germanic *rehta, from *rehtaz (“right; straight”).

Etymology 3

From Middle English right, from Old English riht, reht, ġeriht (“that which is right, just, or proper”), from Proto-West Germanic *reht, from Proto-Germanic *rehtą (“a right”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵt- (“to straighten; direct”). Cognate with Dutch recht (“a right; privilege”), German Recht (“a right”), Danish ret (“a right”).

Etymology 4

From Middle English righten, reghten, riȝten, from Old English rihtan, ġerihtan (“to straighten, judge, set upright, set right”), from Proto-West Germanic *rihtijan, from Proto-Germanic *rihtijaną (“to straighten; rectify; judge”).

More for "right"

Synonyms

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