as in deserved
being what is called for by accepted standards of right and wrong
in light of her admission of having lied, the only rightful course of action for the governor would be to resign
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Recent Examples of rightful
He is later suspected of treason when a petition alleges that he had been declared the rightful king by his armorer.
—
Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
The collection, worth millions, comprises some 1,500 oil paintings, including works by Rembrandt and Peter Paul Rubens, though their rightful owners remain unknown.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
The Big East has steadied its membership, since the conference’s revival, by adding Butler, Creighton and Xavier, luring UConn back to its rightful home, winning four men’s basketball national championships, four women’s hoops titles and now operating out of the Empire State Building.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
Erling Haaland was the rightful match-winner, dispatching his goal with a surety that eluded Havertz on more than one occasion.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rightful
Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
The collection, worth millions, comprises some 1,500 oil paintings, including works by Rembrandt and Peter Paul Rubens, though their rightful owners remain unknown.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
The Big East has steadied its membership, since the conference’s revival, by adding Butler, Creighton and Xavier, luring UConn back to its rightful home, winning four men’s basketball national championships, four women’s hoops titles and now operating out of the Empire State Building.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
Erling Haaland was the rightful match-winner, dispatching his goal with a surety that eluded Havertz on more than one occasion.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rightful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rightful
Adjective
-
No doubt that the trophy handed over by EFL chairman Rick Parry was well deserved.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Anything less will keep the door wide open for the Pohlad family to be a lightning rod for criticism that is very much deserved.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
On paper, each treatment may appear justified.—
Fennemore,
Oc Register,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Many faiths have teachings about when war is or is not considered justified, including Judaism, Islam and Hinduism.—
Valerie Morkevicius,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rightful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rightful. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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