righteous
Contents
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From earlier rightuous, rightwose, rightwos, rightwise, from Middle English rightwise, rightwis, from Old English rihtwīs (“righteous, just, right, justifiable”), 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[edit]
Adjective[edit]
righteous (comparative more righteous, superlative most righteous)
- Free from sin or guilt.
- Moral and virtuous, suggesting sanctimonious.
- Justified morally.
- righteous rage
- (slang, US) Awesome; great.
- 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.
- 2008, Stephen King, Graduation Afternoon
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from righteous
Translations[edit]
free from sin or guilt
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moral and virtuous, suggesting sanctimonious
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justified morally
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Verb[edit]
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:
