righteousness
- 01 C1 Advanced
the quality of being morally right and good.
the quality or state of being morally upright, virtuous, or justifiable.
Simple“He was a man of great righteousness who always tried to help the poor.”
In context“The leader's reputation for righteousness made it difficult for his opponents to find any personal scandals to use against him.”
UsageUncountable in this general moral sense.
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
living in a way that follows God's laws or religious rules.
conformity of life and conduct to divine law or religious principles.
Simple“The priest spoke about the path to righteousness through prayer and fasting.”
In context“In many theological traditions, righteousness is viewed not just as human effort but as a state of grace granted by the divine.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is very common in scripture and religious sermons but rare in everyday conversation.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
a specific action that is morally good or right.
a specific act or instance of being righteous.
Simple“The old stories are full of the righteousnesses of the saints.”
In context“The text enumerates the various righteousnesses required of a citizen, from paying taxes to defending the city.”
UsageUsed as a countable noun in this sense, though this is rare in modern English.
Teacher's tipModern speakers almost always use the uncountable form; the plural 'righteousnesses' sounds very old-fashioned.
Synonymsgood deedvirtuous actAntonyms
“For someone in Macaulay’s position, zeal and righteousness were not character flaws, but the only adequate response to a system that defined her out of legitimate political speech.”
From earlier rightwiseness, from Middle English rightwisnes, from Old English rihtwīsnes (“justice”), equivalent to righteous + -ness.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.