RIGHTEOUSNESS Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

righteousness

noun

Definition of righteousness

as in morality

conduct that conforms to an accepted standard of right and wrong the laws do not always dictate righteousness, for what is legal is not always moral

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in integrity

faithfulness to high moral standards a life lived with righteousness guarantees that you will always respect yourself

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of righteousness This is the point at which the novel refuses an easier righteousness. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026 In this meme, unfortunately for those banking on righteousness, Venom is the clear winner. — Owen Carry, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026 Hungering and thirsting for righteousness, mentioned in the fourth Beatitude, felt like trusting that right ideas are always supplied. — Liesl Ehmke, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2026 Its righteousness and defiance; its relentless forward motion; its assumption of a common social struggle are all native to that last year before Ronald Reagan. — Lucy Sante, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026 The five points of the star represent the characteristics of a good citizen, which are fortitude, loyalty, righteousness, prudence, and broadmindedness. — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 July 2026 The story follows exiled prince Rama (Ranbir Kapoor) and his consort Sita (Sai Pallavi) through exile into catastrophe, as Sita’s abduction at the hands of Ravana (Yash) sets in motion an epic war between righteousness and evil. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 July 2026 Blumenthal delivered just that—a conspiratorial account of Jewish power, American malignity, and the Islamic Republic’s righteousness. — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026 Except her version of fun involves vengeance, sly righteousness and the exposure of humanity’s darker tendencies. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for righteousness

Noun

This perception of threat, intertwined with a harsh interpretation of religious morality, dominated 17th-century life, with the optimistic, protective and compassionate aspects of Christianity often overpowered by fear and a desire to judge.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Andie is a creature of pure ambition and nearly blank morality, a sweatshirt-wearing, 2000s-era daughter of Lady Macbeth and Faye Dunaway in Network, though Wever purposefully didn’t revisit that film to keep her own performance distinct.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of morality

Noun

Though there are multiple interpretations of sharia, its essence is to serve as a code for how Muslims should live and worship — covering such matters as prayer, pilgrimages, fasting, charitable donations and personal virtue.

— David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Baek Ki-hyeon aspired to walk a path of virtue and provide for their sister through honest means — but his calculating spymaster big brother was never going to let them out of his grasp.

— Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of virtue

Noun

Responding with curiosity instead of immediate defensiveness teaches people that honesty is useful rather than dangerous.

— Kristina Aran, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Thrown together with him again, Billie has to confront the honesty and the deception that brought their relationship to an end.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of honesty

Noun

At the University of Turin, Pavese wrote his thesis on Walt Whitman, which was initially rejected because of the evident influence of Croce and then passed, with honors, after Leone Ginzburg savvily intervened and found Pavese a new examiner.

— Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
The Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys earlier this year had awarded Zahnd the group’s highest honor for his years of service as a prosecutor.

— Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of honor

Noun

Cool Machine is definitive not only for its sweep but also for the rightness, the evocative precision, of the details that fill its paragraphs like the mystery mix inside the skin of a Gray’s Papaya hot dog.

— David Hajdu, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026
If the Sun is high in the lunar sky during the flyby, there will be few shadows, and the crew will be looking for subtle variations in surface color and rightness.

— Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026

Definition of rightness

Browse Nearby Words

righteously

righteousness

righter

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Righteousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/righteousness. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of righteousness

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

argot

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes