rightly

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rightly

/ˈɹaɪtli/ US, UK

Rhymes with -aɪtli

Where it comes from

From Middle English ryȝtly, rihtliche, from Old English rihtlīċe, from Proto-West Germanic *rehtalīkā, *rehtalīkō, from Proto-Germanic *rehtalīkê, *rehtalīkô (“rightly”), equivalent to right + -ly. Cognate with West Frisian rjochtlik, Dutch rechtelijk, German rechtlich, Swedish rätteligen, Icelandic réttilega.

adverb rightlier · more rightly · rightliest · most rightly

In a right manner; correctly, justifiably. She was quite rightly disappointed in not being promoted.
Similar: correctly, properly, accordantly, accordingly, agreeably, appropriately, becomingly, compliantly, conformably, consistently, duly, fitly

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: justly, justifiedly, rightfully, legitimately, properly, correctly, justifiably, duly, reasonably, appropriately, well, adequately, judiciously, fittingly, suitably, aptly

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MLA

"rightly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rightly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

rightly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rightly

Chicago

"rightly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rightly.

BibTeX

@misc{rightly_2026,
  title = {rightly},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rightly},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}