right
/ɹaɪt/ adjective, adverb, interjection, noun, verb, proper noun
Forms further right farther right righter furthest right farthest right rightmost rightest rights righting righted the Right reight reet rite
- adjective 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: → “After the accident, her right leg was slightly shorter than her left.”
- adjective Clockwise, particularly when describing a change in direction or orientation. “The road up ahead contains a right bend.”
- adjective Complying with justice, correctness, or reason; correct, just, true. See also the interjection senses below. “That's not the right thing to do.”
- adjective Appropriate, perfectly suitable; fit for purpose. “Is this the right software for my computer?”
- adjective Healthy, sane, competent. “I'm afraid my father is no longer in his right mind.”
- adjective Real; veritable (used emphatically). “You've made a right mess of the kitchen!”
- adjective (geometry) 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.”
- adjective (geometry) Of a geometric figure, incorporating a right angle between edges, faces, axes, etc. “a right triangle a right prism a right cone”
- adverb On the right side.
- adverb Towards the right side.
- adverb Exactly, precisely. “The arrow landed right in the middle of the target.”
- adverb Immediately, directly. “Can't you see it? It's right beside you!”
- adverb (UK, US, dialect) Very, extremely, quite. “I made a right stupid mistake there, didn't I?”
- adverb (dated, still used in some titles) To a great extent or degree. “Sir, I am right glad to meet you …”
- adverb According to fact or truth; actually; truly; really.
- adverb In a correct or proper manner. “Do it right or don't do it at all.”
- interjection Yes, that is correct; I agree. “— United's the best team in the country. — Right. And they'll go all the way for sure. — Damn right they will.”
- interjection 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). “— United's the best team in the country, so they'll come up with something. — Right. And do you think they'll go all the way?”
- interjection 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?”
- interjection Used to check listener engagement and (especially) agreement at the end of an utterance or each segment thereof. “You're going, right?”
Synonyms
right-hand dexter dextral starboard correct just right-wing conservative all right OK rightward rightwise rightways exactly right smack slap-bang in point of fact correctly properly precisely right field rightfield right wing right hand rightfulness compensate redress rectify proper good
Antonyms
left left-hand sinister sinistral wrong incorrect unjust left-wing liberal bowed crooked curved center wrongly
Etymology
From Middle English reȝt, right, righte, riht, riȝt, riȝte, ryght, ryȝt, from Old English reht, reoht, rieht, riht, ryht (“right,” also the word for “straight” and “direct”), from Proto-West Germanic *reht, from Proto-Germanic *rehtaz (“right, straight; just, morally upright”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós (“right, straightened”), from *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten; to righten”).
The Germanic adjective which has been used also as a noun since the common Germanic period.
Cognate with Scots richt (“right”), Yola reights, rights (“rights”), North Frisian recht, rocht, rucht (“right”), Saterland Frisian gjucht (“right”), West Frisian rjocht (“straight”), Central Franconian rääch (“right”), Dutch recht (“straight”), German recht, Recht (“right”), Limburgish réët (“right”), Luxembourgish Recht, riets (“right”), riicht (“straight”), Yiddish רעכט (rekht, “right”), Danish ret (“right”), Faroese rættur (“right”), Icelandic réttur (“right”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk rett (“right”), Swedish rät (“straight”), rätt (“right”), Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 (raihts, “straight; correct”). The Indo-European root is also the source of Breton reiñ (“to give”), Cornish ri (“to give; to grant; to present”), Irish reachd, reacht (“law, statute; authority; dispensation”), Scottish Gaelic reachd (“law, right; command, power”), Welsh rhoddi, rhoi (“to give; to put”), Latin rēctus (“led straight along; correct, right; just, lawful”), Ancient Greek ὀρεκτός (orektós, “stretched out; longed for”), Latvian redzēt (“to see”), Lithuanian regėti (“to see, view”), Avestan 𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰𐬎 (ər^əzu, “straight”), Baluchi راست (rást, “right”), Central Kurdish ڕاست (rast, “right; straight”), Northern Kurdish rast (“straight; right; true; erect; direct”), Ossetian раст (rast, “honest, true; correct; exact; straight; fair; direct”), Persian راس (rās / râs), راست (râst, “straight; direct; true; erect”), Zazaki raşt (“right; straight”), Sanskrit ऋजु (ṛju, “straight; honest, sincere”).
From Middle English right, righte, from Old English rihte, rehte (“right; rightly; due; directly; straight”), from Proto-Germanic *rehta, from *rehtaz (“right; straight”).
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”).
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”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Straight; direct; not crooked; as, a right line. "Right as any line." Chaucer
- adjective Upright; erect from a base; having an upright axis; not oblique; as, right ascension; a right pyramid or cone.
- adverb In a right manner.
- adverb In a right or straight line; directly; hence; straightway; immediately; next; as, he stood right before me; it went right to the mark; he came right out; he followed right after the guide.
Etymology [OE. right, riht, AS. riht; akin to D. regt, OS. & OHG. reht, G. recht, Dan. ret, Sw. rätt, Icel. rëttr, Goth. raíhts, L. rectus, p. p. of regere to guide, rule; cf. Skr. straight, right. sq. root115. Cf. Adroit,Alert, Correct, Dress, Regular, Rector, Recto, Rectum, Regent, Region, Realm, Rich, Riyal, Rule.]
Etymology [AS. right. See Right, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “right”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details