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rightly

rightly

113 2.6
In a fair way because someone deserves it
  • adverb
  • /ˈraɪtli/
translation icon : con razón
  • The committee made a decision that was rightly praised by the community for its fairness.
  • rightly or wrongly
  • quite rightly
  • rightly so

And they all thought, and rightly so, that I had lost my mind.

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Examples

  • Catholic believers will always and rightly be concerned about their individual judgment.

    Academic text (2008)
  • And these works have rightly become his signature pieces.

  • And they all thought, and rightly so, that I had lost my mind.

  • And that is that is something Trump can rightly take credit for.

  • You hear a lot about China now and rightly so, India actually also.

  • So that was the first mistake I think you could rightly say that they made.

  • And people were grateful, rightly so, for that.

  • So people are quite rightly asking, well, what's the point?

  • It has been said rightly, that he who holds the gold makes the rules.

  • The proponents of Global Zero are rightly worried about the renewed spread of nuclear weapons.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

rightfully
vsrightly
72 3.7

In a fair and legal way

is broader adding fair and deserved senses beyond legal entitlement
duly
vsrightly
  • Formal
44 4.6

In the correct or expected way for a situation

carries moral and deserved meanings beyond simple formality or expectation
justly
vsrightly
20 3.4

In a fair and honest way

also covers being deserved or appropriate beyond moral fairness
justifiably
vsrightly
17 4.6

For a good reason that can be shown to be right

focuses more on fairness and deservedness rather than only defensibility
deservedly
vsrightly
9 3.7

People get a fair result because of what they did

is not only earned but also means morally fair beyond merit
fittingly
vsrightly
9 3.9

In a way that is right for the situation

leans more on moral fairness and deservedness than mere suitability
righteously
vsrightly
8 6.5

In a way that is morally correct

is more neutral also including appropriateness and deservedness
deservingly
vsrightly
1 4.5

In a way that shows someone earned praise or a reward for their actions

includes broader fairness and moral correctness beyond mere merit

Antonyms

85 1.8

In a way that treats people or things differently and not right

65 2.7

In a way that is not correct or fair

How Just

righteously
8 6.5
justly
20 3.4
rightly
113 2.6
unfairly
85 1.8

Surface Forms

rightly positive

Morphology

rightly = right (transparent) = right + ly

The adverb is a regular derivation from the adjective 'right' with the productive suffix '-ly', yielding 'in a correct or justified way'.

Etymology

Rightly comes from the old English word right meaning 'just' or 'correct', and the ending -ly turns it into a word that describes how something is done. So, to do something rightly is to do it 'in a fair or correct way'.