alright

adverb or adjective

al·​right (ˌ)ȯl-ˈrīt 

ˈȯl-ˌrīt

: all right

If people stay strong and keep pushing we'll be alright.

—Keith Ellison

Alright, I give in.

—Sallie Tisdale

Alright already, get in the squad car and solve the darn crime.

—Ken Tucker

It's cheap, alright.

—Chris Hodenfield

all right or alright?: Usage Guide

Although the spelling alright dates to the mid-19th century, some still insist alright is all wrong. The objection seems at its core to be based on little more than the form's newness: altogether and already, which formerly were frequently spelled as two words, settled into their current spellings in the 18th century, making alright a relative upstart. All right continues to be much more common than alright in published writing, but alright is increasingly found there too. Some like to distinguish between the forms, reserving all right for meanings such as "entirely correct" and "only those on the right," and alright for the other meanings, but that distinction is not widely employed.

Synonyms of alright

• OK
• fine

Examples of alright in a Sentence

the audition for the orchestra position seemed to go alright, but one never knows

alright, you can buy me lunch, but next time it's my treat

she passed the test alright—she had the highest score in the class

an alright movie, but I wouldn't pay to see it again

we got the plane's nose back up, and after that we were alright

Recent Examples on the Web

Did alright in the Championship last season but physicality is an issue. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025

The stand-ins did alright, handing the Mariners a 3-2 setback for the Dodgers’ 91st win of the season. —Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025

Tony & Ziva continues to dangle the will-they-won't-they carrot, but de Pablo teases that fans might be alright reading into a shocking visual from the pilot's opening sequence, which suggests a massive, positive development in the Tiva romance. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025

Backstreet’s back alright, and Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song are thrilled about it. —Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 30 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for alright

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight
• calcite

Video

Alright vs. All Right

Is 'alright' all right?

Kids Definition

alright

adverb or adjective

al·​right ȯl-ˈrīt 

ˈȯl-ˌrīt

: all right