The property should be returned to its rightful owner.
He will be given his rightful place in the history books.
Recent Examples on the WebWith the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has loses hope until Aang (Gordon Cormier), a young airbender, reawakens to take his rightful place.—Selome Hailu, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang (Cormier), a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar.—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 And while the Republican National Committee has said Karamo was properly removed from the post and has proclaimed Hoekstra the rightful chair, there isn’t 100% clarity on whose convention will count.—Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024 This survivorship bias results in rightful celebrations of embryos who progress successfully to birth but neglects their brothers and sisters, the plight of close to 1 million human beings stuck on ice awaiting destruction, experimentation, or (in rare cases) adoption.—The Editors, National Review, 23 Feb. 2024 But any overt attempt to dismiss her as the rightful heir to the nomination in this scenario would infuriate her supporters and possibly alienate a significant part of the Democratic base: Black voters.—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024 And after sinking over a decade into the book, her mission continues, not only for a deeper understanding of Senegal’s photographic past, but its rightful place in history.—Thomas Page, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 The department will safeguard funds until they can be returned to people making rightful claims.—The Arizona Republic, 27 Feb. 2024 But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang, a young Air Nomad, and the last of his kind, reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar.—Dana Feldman, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rightful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of rightful was
before the 12th century
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