rightfully
adverb
Simple meaning
In accordance with what is right or just.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rytfuhleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹaɪtfəli
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
In accordance with what is right or just.
“Baseball rightfully is the nation's pastime.”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: In accordance with what is right or just.
Used this way, rightfully is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Baseball rightfully is the nation's pastime.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use rightfully
- “Baseball rightfully is the nation's pastime.”adverb
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.