righteous
English
Alternative forms
- rightuous, rightwise (obsolete)
Etymology
From earlier rightuous, rightwose, rightwos, rightwise, from Middle English rightwise, rightwis, from Old English rihtwīs (“righteous, just”), corresponding to right + -wise (with assimilation of second element to -ous), or to right + wise (“way, manner”). Cognate with Scots richtwis (“righteous”), Old High German rehtwīsic (“righteous, just”), Icelandic réttvíss (“righteous, just”). Compare also thefteous, mighteous.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɹaɪt͡ʃəs/
- (obsolete) IPA(key): /ˈɹaɪtjəs/, /ˈɹaɪti.əs/[1]
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -aɪtʃəs
Adjective
righteous (comparative more righteous, superlative most righteous)
- Free from sin or guilt.
- Moral and virtuous, to the point of sanctimony.
- Human beings should take a righteous path, and so should art. We should promote kindness and beauty through art.
- Justified morally.
- righteous indignation
- (slang, US) Awesome; great.
- 1986, John Hughes, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, spoken by Grace Wheelberg (Edie McClurg):
- The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude.
- 1995, Norman L. Russell, Doug Grad, Suicide Charlie: A Vietnam War Story (page 191)
- He sold me a bulging paper sack full of Cambodian Red for two dolla' MPC. A strange experience, copping from a kid, but it was righteous weed.
- 2008, Stephen King, Graduation Afternoon:
- Tonight the kids will go out and party down in a more righteous mode. Alcohol and not a few tabs of X will be ingested. Club music will throb through big speakers.
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Derived terms
- overrighteous
- righteous among the nations
- righteously
- righteousness
- self-righteous
- unrighteous
- uprighteous
Translations
free from sin or guilt
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moral and virtuous, to the point of sanctimonious
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justified morally
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Verb
righteous (third-person singular simple present righteouses, present participle righteousing, simple past and past participle righteoused)
- To make righteous; specifically, to justify religiously, to absolve from sin.
- 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin 2010, p. 101:
- Thus for the purposes of being ‘righteoused’, the Law was irrelevant; yet Paul could not bear to see all the Law disappear.
- 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin 2010, p. 101:
References
- Jespersen, Otto (1909) A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles (Sammlung germanischer Elementar- und Handbücher; 9), volume I: Sounds and Spellings, London: George Allen & Unwin, published 1961, § 12.41, page 346.