Definition of RIGHTEOUSNESS

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 of righteous from the Web

PJ Harvey brought the red right hand of righteous truth via a nine-piece band that was part thunder and part Gothic male choir.

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "5 things you missed at the Forecastle Festival on Sunday," 16 July 2017
Despite the political mantra of rugged individualism, righteous collective action is the real defining American ethic.

— jeffrey sonnenfeld, Fortune, "What a Fourth of July Beach Rescue Says About America’s True Heroes," 15 July 2017
Her innocence and righteous fury are the perfect foil to the whacked-out cynicism of Johnny, Lucy, and Lucy's assistant Frank Dawson (Giancarlo Esposito).

— annalee newitz, Ars Technica, "New Netflix film Okja is sci-fi satire so sharp it will cut you," 9 July 2017
When Riley’s words thundered from the throne in righteous pissed-off-ness.

— dave hyde, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Hyde: It's Ainge vs. Riley — can Danny swing the deals you know Pat would? | Commentary," 30 June 2017
Tom Stokes' Vanya, a calming force throughout, nevertheless gives righteous anger a voice near the end of the play.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Sibling Rivalry Handled With Truth, Humor And Brilliance," 29 June 2017
Well, on the field, the Rapids were brutal when their coach had that righteous tickler, and the coach decided to eliminate it.

— jim reineking, USA TODAY, "Major League Soccer's all-time all-hair team," 27 June 2017
The Bitcoin community in those days was united in its sense of righteous mission.

— brian patrick eha, Fortune, "Can Bitcoin’s First Felon Help Make Cryptocurrency a Trillion-Dollar Market?," 26 June 2017
That insight and energy can create a firestorm of righteous anger and the desire to do something about it.

— jodie layne, Allure, "What This Week's Horoscope Means for You," 25 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'righteous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of righteous

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1530

See Words from the same year

righteous Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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