
by rights
[Middle English, from Old English riht. N., sense 3, from the fact that conservatives sit on the right side of the legislative chamber in various assemblies.]
righter right'er n.SYNONYMS right, privilege, prerogative, perquisite, birthright. These nouns apply to something, such as a power or possession, to which one has an established claim. Right refers to a legally, morally, or traditionally just claim: "I'm a champion for the Rights of Woman" (Maria Edgeworth). "An unconditional right to say what one pleases about public affairs is what I consider to be the minimum guarantee of the First Amendment" (Hugo L. Black). Privilege usually suggests a right not enjoyed by everyone: Use of the company jet was a privilege reserved for the top executives. Prerogative denotes an exclusive right or privilege, as one based on custom, law, or office: It is my prerogative to change my mind. A perquisite is a privilege or advantage accorded to one by virtue of one's position or the needs of one's employment: "The wardrobe of her niece was the perquisite of her [maid]" (Tobias Smollett). A birthright is a right to which one is entitled by birth: Many view gainful employment as a birthright.
Our Living Language Speakers of Standard English mainly restrict the use of adverbial right to modify adverbs of space or time, as in She's right over there or Do it right now! No such restriction applies in Southern vernacular speech, where right can be used to intensify the meaning of many adjectives and adverbs, as in He's right nice or You talk right fast. This broader use of right is attested as far back as the 15th century and is found in the works of Shakespeare and other great writers. Thus, what appears to be neglect of Standard English rules is actually the retention of a once-proper historical usage. • The use of right as an adverb indicating directness, completeness, or general intensity seems to be related to the use of right in a more concrete sense to refer to something that is perfectly straight or perpendicular to something else, as in right angle. A similar connection between concrete and metaphorical meaning lies behind the Southern adverbial usage of plumb, as in He fell plumb asleep as an indicator of completeness or totality. See Note at smart.
For more information on right, visit Britannica.com.
| Revolving Fund, Review, Reversing Entry | |
| Right of Return, Right-Hand Side, Rights Offering |
adjective
noun
adverb
verb
Idioms beginning with right:
right in the head
right tack
right and left
right as rain
right off
right-hand man
right off the bat
right on
right-side out
right-side up
See also all right; all right for you; all right with one; by rights; come (right) out with; dead to rights; get right; give one's eyeteeth (right arm); go right; go (right) through one; hang a left (right); have a right to; have a screw loose (one's head screwed on right); heart in the right place; hit (right) between the eyes; in one's own right; in one's right mind; in the right; left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing; might makes right; not right in the head; (right) on the money; on the right foot; on the right tack; play one's cards right; price is right; put right; sail (right) through; serve one right; set right; set to rights; step in the right direction; strike the right note; that's right; turn out all right; two wrongs do not make a right; when it comes (right down) to.
Definition: accurate, precise
Antonyms: imprecise, inaccurate, inadmissible, wrong
adj
Definition: appropriate, fitting
Antonyms: inappropriate, unfitting, unsuitable, unsuited, wrong
adj
Definition: conservative politically
Antonyms: left
adj
Definition: fair, just
Antonyms: corrupt, immoral, inequitable, unfair, unjust, wrong
adj
Definition: opposite of left
Antonyms: left
adj
Definition: sane, healthy
Antonyms: insane, mad, unfit, unhealthy, unsound
adv
Definition: accurately, precisely
Antonyms: imperfectly, inaccurately, incorrectly, wrong, wrongly
adv
Definition: appropriately, suitably
Antonyms: inappropriately, unsuitably, wrong, wrongly
adv
Definition: beneficially
Antonyms: badly, for the worse, unfairly
adv
Definition: directly, without delay
Antonyms: indirectly
adv
Definition: fairly, justly
Antonyms: unfairly, unjustly, wrong, wrongly
n
Definition: justice, morality
Antonyms: corruption, immorality, injustice, unfairness, unjustness, wrong
v
Definition: fix, correct
Antonyms: break, upset, wrong
adj. of or relating to a person or political party or grouping favoring conservative views: are you politically right, left, or center?
n.1. the right wing of an army.
2. often the Right a grouping or political party favoring conservative views and supporting capitalist economic principles.
3. the section of a group or political party adhering particularly strongly to such views.
Etymology: see right wing.rightable adj.
See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
Most past and present cultures (perhaps all) contrast the right and left hand to the advantage of the former, presumably because in most people it is stronger and more skilled; in English, there is also a strong verbal connection with ‘right’ in the senses ‘correct, good’. The right hand symbolizes power, authority, benevolence, honour, and loyalty; it is used in gestures of greeting or blessing, in shaking hands, taking oaths, etc. In the ancient Roman system of augury, omens to the right of the enquirer were favourable. Whatever the origins of these semi-conscious meanings, Christianity strengthened them by some vivid imagery: the risen Christ sits ‘at the right hand of the Father’, and at the Last Judgement the ‘sheep’ will be on the right, the ‘goats’ on the left (Matthew 25:33).
In folk beliefs, good luck is regularly associated with the right side: it is lucky to see the new moon to one's right, to put the right stocking or shoe on first, to cross a threshold with the right foot, and so on, while in each case the left is unlucky.
See also LEFT.
(political) The branch of political opinion that is for the freedom of the individual in economic matters, and therefore protects the distributions of property and divisions of class that such freedoms generate. The right may frequently be authoritarian, regarding strong law and order as necessary to protect the divisions it favours, or it may extend the protection of liberty to the point of anarchism. See also conservatism, fascism, individualism, left (political), liberalism.
In an abstract sense, justice, ethical correctness, or harmony with the rules of law or the principles of morals. In a concrete legal sense, a power, privilege, demand, or claim possessed by a particular person by virtue of law.
Each legal right that an individual possesses relates to a corresponding legal duty imposed on another. For example, when a person owns a home and property, he has the right to possess and enjoy it free from the interference of others, who are under a corresponding duty not to interfere with the owner's rights by trespassing on the property or breaking into the home.
In constitutional law, rights are classified as natural, civil, and political. Natural rights are those that are believed to grow out of the nature of the individual human being and depend on her personality, such as the rights to life, liberty, privacy, and the pursuit of happiness.
Civil rights are those that belong to every citizen of the state, and are not connected with the organization or administration of government. They include the rights of property, marriage, protection by law, freedom to contract, trial by jury, and the like. These rights are capable of being enforced or redressed in a civil action in a court.
Political rights entail the power to participate directly or indirectly in the establishment or administration of government, such as the right of citizenship, the right to vote, and the right to hold public office.
n.
Legitimate authority to be, to do or to have; as the right to be a king, the right to do one's neighbor, the right to have measles, and the like. The first of these rights was once universally believed to be derived directly from the will of God; and this is still sometimes affirmed in partibus infidelium outside the enlightened realms of Democracy; as the well known lines of Sir Abednego Bink, following:
By what right, then, do royal rulers rule?
Whose is the sanction of their state and pow'r?
He surely were as stubborn as a mule
Who, God unwilling, could maintain an hour
His uninvited session on the throne, or air
His pride securely in the Presidential chair.
Whatever is is so by Right Divine;
Whate'er occurs, God wills it so. Good land!
It were a wondrous thing if His design
A fool could baffle or a rogue withstand!
If so, then God, I say (intending no offence)
Is guilty of contributory negligence.
In addition to its directional meaning, being on the right can also mean being correct (e.g., to be on the right side of a situation). Being at the right hand of God also says one is in the righteous place of good instead of evil. The right in a dream can also mean to stand up for one's "rights" or "to right" (rectify) a wrong.
| rig, ridiculous, ridgy-didge | |
| right croaker, righteous, rigmo |

| This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009) |
| "Right" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by David Bowie from the album Young Americans | ||||
| Released | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Blue-eyed soul | |||
| Length | 4:18 | |||
| Label | RCA Records | |||
| Writer | David Bowie | |||
| Producer | Tony Visconti | |||
| Young Americans track listing | ||||
|
||||
"Right" is a song written by David Bowie for his Young Americans album in 1975.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Dansk (Danish)
adj. - højre, rigtig, velegnet, ordentlig
adv. - lige, præcis, straks, fuldstændig, helt, med det samme
n. - ret, rettighed, det rigtige, højre side
v. tr. - rette, rette op på, bringe i orden, korrigere
v. intr. - rette (sig) op
int. - ja!, ok, godt!
idioms:
Nederlands (Dutch)
juist, goed, recht, rechts/-er, loodrecht, precies, direct, corrigeren, recht maken
Français (French)
adj. - droit, bien, bon, juste, exact, direct, (avoir) raison, à l'endroit, qui convient, approprié, en bon état, qui fonctionne bien, arrangé, réparé, corrigé (erreur), (Math) droit, (GB) vrai (fam), (GB) prêt (fam)
adv. - à droite, immédiatement, droit, directement, en plein, au beau (milieu), juste, comme il faut, tout, dans tout, (GB) le très (pour les titres), (GB, dial) très (arch), bon, très bien, eh bien
n. - droite, (Pol) la droite, bien, droit, une droite/un direct (en boxe), (Comm, Jur) droits (npl), aspects moraux (npl), les arguments pour (npl)
v. tr. - corriger, redresser, réparer
v. intr. - se redresser (qn), se rétablir (la situation)
int. - eh bien, très bien, bon
idioms:
Deutsch (German)
adj. - richtig, recht
adv. - richtig, recht, nach rechts, genau, völlig, ganz, direkt, unmittelbar
n. - (An)recht, rechte Seite, die Rechte
v. - aufrichten, berichtigen
int. - richtig
idioms:
Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - δίκαιος, σωστός, ορθός, δεξής, δεξιός, έντιμος, ευθύς, δίκαιος, δεξιός, της δεξιάς πλευράς
adv. - κατευθείαν, ορθά, ορθώς, σωστά, προς τα δεξιά, ίσια, ακριβώς, εντελώς, καλά
n. - (νόμιμο) δικαίωμα, προνόμιο, δίκιο, δικαιοσύνη, δεξιά πολιτική παράταξη, συντηρητική παράταξη
v. - επανορθώνω, ορθώνω/-ομαι, διορθώνω, ισιώνω, ανορθώνω, ισορροπώ, ξαναφέρνω στα ίσια
int. - σωστά! ωραία! εντάξει!
idioms:
Italiano (Italian)
raddrizzare, riparare, bene, diritto, giusto, sulla destra, direttamente, immediatamente, vero?
idioms:
Português (Portuguese)
adj. - correto
adv. - certo, satisfatoriamente
n. - direito (m), mão direita (f)
v. - endireitar, corrigir
int. - Certo!
idioms:
Русский (Russian)
выровнять, исправить, верно, правильно, прямо, право, справедливость, верный, правильный, справедливый, правый, прямой, сразу
idioms:
Español (Spanish)
adj. - exacto, bueno, correcto, indicado, justo, legítimo, derecho, diestro
adv. - a la derecha, directamente, inmediatamente
n. - derecho, justicia, equidad
v. tr. - enderezar, rectificar, corregir, hacer justicia
v. intr. - enderezarse, rectificarse, corregirse
int. - ¡bueno!, ¡de acuerdo!, ¿vale?, ¿de acuerdo?
idioms:
Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - rätt, rättmätig, höger, äkta
adv. - rätt, direkt, alldeles, åt höger
n. - rätt, rättighet, höger sida
v. - räta upp sig, korrigera
int. - Javisst!
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
右的, 右侧的, 右边的, 正当的, 正义的, 对的, 右翼的, 正确的, 准确的, 向右, 向右侧, 向右方, 恰当地, 正确地, 无误地, 不偏不倚地, 正好, 权利, 正义, 右边, 纠正, 使恢复正常, 将...扶正, 恢复平稳, 好, 行, 对
idioms:
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 右的, 右側的, 右邊的, 正當的, 正義的, 對的, 右翼的, 正確的, 準確的
adv. - 向右, 向右側, 向右方, 恰當地, 正確地, 無誤地, 不偏不倚地, 正好
n. - 權利, 正義, 右邊
v. tr. - 糾正, 使恢復正常, 將...扶正
v. intr. - 恢復平穩
int. - 好, 行, 對
idioms:
한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 옳은, 정확한, 곧은
adv. - 옳게, 정확하게, 곧게
n. - 바름, 권리, 정확
v. tr. - 바로잡다, 일으키다
v. intr. - 똑바로 일어서다
int. - 좋다
idioms:
日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 右の, 右翼の, 正しい, 間違いのない, 正常な, 適当な, 直角の
adv. - 右に, 案の定, 真っすぐに, ずっと, 正確に, ちょうど, 適切に, 正しく, すぐに
n. - 右, 右の手, 右手打ち, 保守派, 右折, 正しさ, 正義, 正しい行い, 権利
v. - 正しい位置に戻す, 真っすぐにする, 正す, 回復させる, 起こす
idioms:
العربيه (Arabic)
(صفه) صحيح, قويم, ملائم, مناسب, مستقيم, صواب (ظرف) فورا, بطريقه ملائمه (الاسم) عدل, إنصاف, اليد اليمنى (فعل) يعدل, يقوم, ينصف, يعيد إلى الوضع الصحيح
עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - צודק, נכון, ימני, מתאים, הוגן, ישר, עדיף, בריא, תקין
adv. - בדיוק, ימינה, היישר, ממש, מיד, אל נכון, כהלכה, לגמרי, במצב תקין
n. - ימין, יד ימין, צדק, יושר, זכות
v. tr. - יישר, סידר, תיקן, זיקף
v. intr. - התיישר, הזדקף
int. - ביטוי של הסכמה ואישור
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