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.
• Ifill could be the first Black woman to take her rightful seat on the bench.
  — Melissa Harris Perry, Glamour, 13 Oct. 2020
• But Djokovic had things to do and a rightful place in his 36th Grand Slam final.
  — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2023
• 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
• 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
• But who knew that the rightful heir to the Iron Throne is also a makeup artist?
  — Meagan Fredette, Teen Vogue, 22 May 2019
• 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
• Both Hoekstra and Karamo now claim to be the rightful party chair.
  — Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 7 Feb. 2024
• The Alabama Supreme Court has not ruled on who is the rightful chair of the party.
  — Mike Cason | [e-mail], al, 29 Dec. 2019
• The guy who took Luke Pell's rightful place as the 21st Bachelor?
  — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 21 Feb. 2018
• That should give pause as the rightful excitement grows about the Bowie group this year.
  — Jon Meoli, baltimoresun.com, 7 June 2021
• 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
• The Dixie Chicks are back to take their rightful place as queens of country rock.
  — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 4 Mar. 2020
• But the pearlies argue over which group is the rightful caretaker of the pearly legacy.
  — Megan Specia, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Apr. 2023
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Dust the full shelves before placing books back in their rightful spots.
  — Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Jan. 2023
• 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
• Fleet hopes the church will be restored to its rightful place in the town’s history by then.
  — Angela Watercutter, Wired, 26 Nov. 2020
• 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
• Sansa thinks she’s power-hungry and not the rightful queen.
  — Abby Gardner, Glamour, 13 Apr. 2019
• In this scenario, the rightful owner is likely nowhere to be found.
  — Ilyce Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin, Chicago Tribune, 14 Sep. 2023
• To his people, Mr Xi can paint it all as a return to the rightful order.
  — The Economist, 21 June 2018
• That brings us to the Phillies, and perhaps a bit of rightful indignation.
  — Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2022
• The young cuckoo wasp eats the nest’s rightful occupant and its food store.
  — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2020
• The Stokes council and the Braxton council both claim to be the rightful council members.
  — Kyle Whitmire | [e-mail], al, 20 July 2023
• These days, there’s no shortage of talk about how Trump’s return to the presidency marks the onset of a culture shift where women and men stay in their rightful lanes.
  — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2025
• American workers are too anxious to take their rightful vacation days.
  — Caroline Ceniza-Levine, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025