How to Use rightful in a Sentence
rightful
adjective- He will be given his rightful place in the history books.
- The property should be returned to its rightful owner.
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Ifill could be the first Black woman to take her rightful seat on the bench.
—Melissa Harris Perry, Glamour, 13 Oct. 2020
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But Djokovic had things to do and a rightful place in his 36th Grand Slam final.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2023
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The process to find the gravestone's rightful home was a long one, said Stanaway.
—Lauren M. Johnson and Christina Zdanowicz, CNN, 24 Sep. 2021
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There isn’t any there in there to guide the AI toward the rightful path and away from the wrongful path.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2022
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But who knew that the rightful heir to the Iron Throne is also a makeup artist?
—Meagan Fredette, Teen Vogue, 22 May 2019
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Now that the rats are gone, the ground lizards may be reclaiming their rightful place at the top of the food web.
—Geoffrey Giller, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2018
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Both Hoekstra and Karamo now claim to be the rightful party chair.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 7 Feb. 2024
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The Alabama Supreme Court has not ruled on who is the rightful chair of the party.
—Mike Cason | McAson@al.com, al, 29 Dec. 2019
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That should give pause as the rightful excitement grows about the Bowie group this year.
—Jon Meoli, baltimoresun.com, 7 June 2021
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Someone with a rightful claim to the Iron Throne who aims to free people and take her place as the one queen to rule them all.
—WIRED, 25 Oct. 2022
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The Dixie Chicks are back to take their rightful place as queens of country rock.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 4 Mar. 2020
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But the pearlies argue over which group is the rightful caretaker of the pearly legacy.
—Megan Specia, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Apr. 2023
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Carlile has done plenty to help her friend and idol feel that love, and to assert Mitchell’s rightful place in the canon.
—New York Times, 26 July 2022
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Used to be, people had the rightful claim that the lunch options in the Loop never measured up with the scenery.
—Nick Kindelsperger, chicagotribune.com, 11 Apr. 2018
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To reclaim his place as the rightful heir to the throne, a young shepherd must abandon his true love.
—Kathleen Dixon, SFChronicle.com, 11 July 2018
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Dust the full shelves before placing books back in their rightful spots.
—Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Jan. 2023
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The 49-year-old voiced hope that, rather than being sold, the medals might find their way back to their rightful owner.
—Isaac Yee and Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024
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Fleet hopes the church will be restored to its rightful place in the town’s history by then.
—Angela Watercutter, Wired, 26 Nov. 2020
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Your mother, as the rightful owner of the house, will have to sign a new deed if your sister tries to sell it.
—Benny L. Kass, chicagotribune.com, 13 June 2018
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Sansa thinks she’s power-hungry and not the rightful queen.
—Abby Gardner, Glamour, 13 Apr. 2019
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In this scenario, the rightful owner is likely nowhere to be found.
—Ilyce Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin, Chicago Tribune, 14 Sep. 2023
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To his people, Mr Xi can paint it all as a return to the rightful order.
—The Economist, 21 June 2018
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That brings us to the Phillies, and perhaps a bit of rightful indignation.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2022
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The young cuckoo wasp eats the nest’s rightful occupant and its food store.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2020
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The Stokes council and the Braxton council both claim to be the rightful council members.
—Kyle Whitmire | Kwhitmire@al.com, al, 20 July 2023
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That's where Congress has to fight for its rightful role in oversight.
—Fox News, 25 May 2018
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In this case, the property should remain in the place it was left so it can be found by the rightful owner.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2025
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Once the inside of the fridge is fully cleaned, the drawers and shelves can be returned to their rightful positions.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 30 June 2025
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rightful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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