rightward

adjective or adverb right·ward \ ˈrīt-wərd \

|Updated on: 16 Aug 2018

Definition of rightward

: being at, toward, or to the right

See rightward defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of rightward from the Web

In Mexico, the election on Sunday of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a frugal leftist firebrand, bucked a rightward political shift in Latin America that has taken root over the past four years.

— New York Times, "Mexico Delivers Another Defeat to the Status Quo in Latin America," 2 July 2018
With Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, the balance of powers is set to shift heavily rightward – with potentially dire consequences for women’s rights.

— jill filipovic, Time, "It's Naive to Think a Conservative Supreme Court Wouldn't Target Roe v. Wade," 12 July 2018
Yet in other ways, Kavanaugh’s nomination signals the end of caution by reinforcing the Court’s unrelenting rightward shift—quite a feat, since the current Court is one of the most conservative in the nation’s history.

— martha f. davis, Fortune, "Why Brett Kavanaugh Is a Huge Threat to Minority Rights," 10 July 2018
In her votes and in her voice on and off the bench, Justice Sotomayor has unflinchingly called out the Court’s rightward turn, and is confronting it.

— david fontana, Vox, "Justice Sotomayor is poised to lead the minority wing of the Supreme Court," 6 July 2018
Now 85, Ginsburg is viewed by liberals, anxious about her advanced age and the rightward drift of the court, as a champion of the left, a bastion of resistance whose absence will be a loss for progress.

— michael o’sullivan, kansascity, "Ruth Bader Ginsburg reigns supreme in ‘RBG’ documentary | The Kansas City Star," 10 May 2018
The dozen shots that follow are all similarly rigid in their rightward panning and 360 degree rounds.

— boyd van hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Walden': Film Review | Karlovy Vary 2018," 12 July 2018
Now 85, Ginsburg is viewed by liberals, anxious about her advanced age and the rightward drift of the court, as a champion of the left, a bastion of resistance whose absence will be a loss for progress.

— michael o’sullivan, kansascity, "Ruth Bader Ginsburg reigns supreme in ‘RBG’ documentary | The Kansas City Star," 10 May 2018
But the practical effect of the county party’s rightward shift is that politicians will avoid seeking its help, Stovall said.

— jasper scherer, San Antonio Express-News, "As factions fight for control of Texas Republican Party, battle already decided in Bexar County," 13 June 2018

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