Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb In a correct manner; properly.
  • adverb With honesty; justly.
  • adverb Informal Really.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In a straight or right line; directly.
  • According to justice, duty, or the divine will; uprightly; honestly; virtuously.
  • Properly; fitly; suitably: as, a person rightly named.
  • According to truth or fact; not erroneously; correctly: as, he has rightly conjectured.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb obsolete Straightly; directly; in front.
  • adverb According to justice; according to the divine will or moral rectitude; uprightly.
  • adverb Properly; fitly; suitably; appropriately.
  • adverb According to truth or fact; correctly; not erroneously; exactly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb Aright, in a right manner, correctly

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb with honesty

Etymologies

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Examples

  • There he was a minute or two since, seated by that cannon, apparently an attentive and much edified auditor of a discussion we were holding on the celebrated theory of a certain bishop of your own country; which theory, rightly considered -- mind, I say _rightly considered_ -- neighbor

    The Wing-and-Wing Le Feu-Follet James Fenimore Cooper 1820

  • It hath been therefore a great felicity to these kingdoms, that the heirs to titles and large estates, have a weakness in their eyes, a tenderness in their constitutions, are not able to bear the pain and indignity of whipping; and as the mother rightly expresses it, could never take to their book; yet are well enough qualified to sign a receipt for half a year's rent, to put their names (_rightly spelt_) to

    The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. - Volume 07 Historical and Political Tracts-Irish Jonathan Swift 1706

  • The Great Depression of the 1930s -- the last time the term rightly applied -- was industrial capitalism's worst calamity.

    You Call this a Depression? 2008

  • And we heard a very stinging response from the Palestinians already to what you called rightly a sweeping statement by Ariel Sharon.

    CNN Transcript Apr 8, 2002 2002

  • "Wage of Sin," all bound alike, don't make what I call a rightly differentiated lib'ry.

    Kilo : being the love story of Eliph' Hewlitt, book agent Ellis Parker Butler 1903

  • The BBC and Britain rightly have very little influence on the only true democracy in the Middle East.

    This group should produce an unbiased report... Not a sheep 2009

  • Their balls had always been a hit with both the Four Hundred and the gossip-hungry press, so Mrs. Bradley-Martin rightly divined a gigantic ball held that winter would go over just as easily.

    The Bradley-Martin Ball | Edwardian Promenade 2009

  • She, quite rightly, is suing the government for its unconscionable treatment of her.

    Archive 2009-09-01 2009

  • Henrietta Twycross-Martin rightly compares it to a Fred Astaire movie.

    2008 November 10 « One-Minute Book Reviews 2008

  • This is, of course, completely ridiculous, and Joe Klein rightly calls out McCain, saying: They'd be taking a country?

    McCain and Iraq: misleading the country, or himself? 2008

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