Main Entry:

al·right

Pronunciation:

\(ˌ)ȯl-ˈrīt, ˈȯl-ˌ\

Function:

adverb or adjective

Date:

1887

: all right

usage The one-word spelling alright appeared some 75 years after all right itself had reappeared from a 400-year-long absence. Since the early 20th century some critics have insisted alright is wrong, but it has its defenders and its users. It is less frequent than all right but remains in common use especially in journalistic and business publications. It is quite common in fictional dialogue, and is used occasionally in other writing <the first two years of medical school were alright — Gertrude Stein>.