all right

1 of 2

adjective

1
: satisfactory, agreeable
Whatever you decide is all right with me.
2
: safe, well
He was ill but he's all right now.
3
informal : good, pleasing
often used as a generalized term of approval
an all right guy
all right or alright?: Usage Guide

Although the spelling alright is more than a century and a half old, some critics have insisted alright is all wrong. Nevertheless, it has its defenders and its users, who perhaps have been influenced by analogy with altogether and already. Alright is less common than all right but is frequently found in informal writing and fictional dialogue.

Starting at a slower pace is perfectly alright. Alia Haley
"Alright, it is a bargain. I will help you." Harold Bell Wright

It is sometimes also used in more formal writing.

The first two years of the medical school were alright. Gertrude Stein

all right

2 of 2

adverb

1
: beyond doubt : certainly
She has pneumonia all right.
2
used interjectionally especially to express agreement or resignation or to indicate the resumption of a discussion
All right, we can do that if you want.
All right, let's go.
3
: well enough : satisfactorily
He does all right in school.

Examples of all right in a Sentence

Adjective The quality of his work is all right but not outstanding. Her first movie was pretty bad but her second one was all right. Is it all right to leave early? Is this movie all right for children? He was very sick but now he's all right again. “Are you hurt?” “No, I'm all right.” She was upset when her boyfriend left, but she's all right now. Adverb She does all right in school. The engine was sputtering when I started it, but it's running all right now. “How's your father?” “He was pretty sick, but he's doing all right now.” See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The rules of this club are as follows: 1) no one (caregiver) knows what to do or has all of the answers, 2) the teens are actually all right, 3) the technology cannot be tamed and still cannot be ignored, and 4) connection (in all the ways) is king. Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023 Soaking crunchy cookie in gingery syrup requires patience, but that’s all right. Eric Kim, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023 Believe in God, things are going to be all right eventually. Emily Krauser, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023 One of the major economic tenets of his plan isn’t working at all right now. Matt Viser and Meryl Kornfield, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Sep. 2023 Branches bend, and the dirt below us shimmers, and clouds swirl and pool, sucking everything up, spitting it all right back out. Bryan Washington, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2023 The kids are all right Nolan Schanuel's rise to the majors has been meteoric. Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2023 For thousands of years, Pando has gotten along all right despite predation, drought and those who doubted its existence. Paighten Harkins, The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 Aug. 2023 Some workplaces provide pension contributions, giving it that warm fuzzy feeling that everything will be all right, and expecting to get more out than is put in. Peter Knapp, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'all right.' 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

Adjective

1652, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of all right was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near all right

Cite this Entry

“All right.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all%20right. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

all right

1 of 2 adjective
1
: satisfactory, correct
it is all right with me
2
: safe entry 1 sense 1, well
he was sick but he's all right now

all right

2 of 2 adverb
1
: very well : yes
all right, I'll come
used as an interjection especially to show agreement or acceptance or to show the continuation of a discussion
2
: beyond doubt : certainly
that's the one all right
3
: reasonably well
does all right in school

More from Merriam-Webster on all right

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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