rectitude
noun
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The Right Definition of Rectitude
Ready for some straight talk about rectitude? Righto! Rectitude is a formal word that comes from the Latin adjective rectus, which means both “right” and “straight,” and ultimately from the Latin verb regere, meaning “to lead straight.” Rectitude today typically refers to moral integrity—that is, to “straightness” or “rightness” of character. (An early use referred literally to a straight line, but that sense is now rare.) Rectus has a number of other descendants in English, including rectangle (a closed four-sided figure with four right angles), rectify (“to make right”), rectilinear (“moving in or forming a straight line”), and even rectus itself, a medical term for any one of several straight muscles in the body.
Examples of rectitude in a Sentence
David Remnick, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2025
There is a good deal of this kind of humor, along with plenty of rectitude.
—Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Blindly believing in his own rectitude, Putin may resort to nuclear weapons if events in Ukraine continue to confound his ambitions.
—Tatiana Stanovaya, Foreign Affairs, 6 Oct. 2022
And not unlike that earlier film, this one takes its tale of debauchery and rectitude and reconciles everything with a fiery third act.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for rectitude
Cite this Entry
“Rectitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rectitude. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.
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rectitude
noun
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