righteous

adjective

righ·​teous ˈrī-chəs 

1

: acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin

2

a

: morally right or justifiable

a righteous decision

b

: arising from an outraged sense of justice or morality

righteous indignation

3

slang : genuine, excellent

righteously adverb

righteousness noun

Synonyms

• all right
• decent
• ethical
• good
• honest
• honorable
• just
• moral
• nice
• right
• right-minded
• straight
• true
• upright
• virtuous

Choose the Right Synonym for righteous

moral, ethical, virtuous, righteous, noble mean conforming to a standard of what is right and good.

moral implies conformity to established sanctioned codes or accepted notions of right and wrong.

the basic moral values of a community

ethical may suggest the involvement of more difficult or subtle questions of rightness, fairness, or equity.

committed to the highest ethical principles

virtuous implies moral excellence in character.

not a religious person, but virtuous nevertheless

righteous stresses guiltlessness or blamelessness and often suggests the sanctimonious.

wished to be righteous before God and the world

noble implies moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean, or dubious in conduct and character.

had the noblest of reasons for seeking office

Examples of righteous in a Sentence

The mix of Yorkshire-inherited bluntness and a caustic, chirpy South London cynicism (vividly parodied and perhaps too endearingly celebrated in the voice of Dora Chance, narrator of Wise Children) stops her from sounding righteous or dogmatic. —Hermione Lee, Times Literary Supplement, 19 June 1992

I didn't know until long after I was grown that Grandpa Durham—that stern and righteous Baptist—sometimes made persimmon beer and cooled it in the cistern. —Jim W. Corder, Chronicle of a Small Town, 1989

He was foreman at Lyman's North End foundry, the largest stove-making foundry in the city, and had risen in eleven years, despite his lung ailment, from apprentice to moulder to chief grievance spokesman, a voice of righteous reason from below. —William Kennedy, Harper's, March 1988

The Believers tried to lead a simple, righteous life, practicing pacifism and confession of sins and recognizing the equality of all humankind. —Robert P. Emlen, Natural History, September 1987

a righteous man can be trusted to act honorably regardless of the circumstances

righteous behavior is its own reward

Recent Examples on the Web

As the film progresses, this wide-eyed curiosity shifts to righteous indignation, but these reactions are muddled by her feelings for Basem. —Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2025

The book extends a rickety rope bridge between psychological shame—the I-must-bury-my-face kind that follows when one is caught being stupid, horny, or poor—and patriotic shame, which fells those in power with its righteous anger. —Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025

Mimi seesaws between hopeless heroin addict and righteous truth-teller. —Jeffrey Seller, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025

Characters give too many righteous speeches that put too fine a point on issues and ideas that have already emerged organically within the context of the storylines. —Judy Berman, Time, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier rightuous, alteration of Middle English rightwise, rightwos, from Old English rihtwīs, from riht, noun, right + wīs wise

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing righteous

• self-righteous

Rhymes for righteous

• unrighteous

Kids Definition

righteous

adjective

righ·​teous ˈrī-chəs 

1

: acting rightly : upright

2

a

: according to what is right

righteous actions

b

: caused by an insult to one's sense of what is right

righteous anger

righteously adverb

righteousness noun