rightly
adv.in a way that is fair, correct, or morally good. You use this when you agree with an action or a decision.
adv.in a manner that is morally or factually correct; justifiably. Often used to express the speaker's agreement with a specific outcome or judgment.
“The judge rightly decided to dismiss the case.”
“Many people felt that the local hero was rightly rewarded for his bravery during the flood.”
“The committee rightly concluded that the project was no longer viable, saving the organization from further financial losses that would have been impossible to recover.”
As a sentence adverb, it often appears at the start of a clause or before the main verb to show the speaker's stance.
While 'rightly' means 'justifiably' or 'fairly', learners often use it when they mean 'correctly' or 'accurately' in a technical sense.
“These are difficult exams , and schools and colleges across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are rightly proud of their achievements.”
“That was about two weeks ago if I remember rightly.”
From Middle English ryȝtly, rihtliche, from Old English rihtlīċe, from Proto-West Germanic rehtalīkā, rehtalīkō, from Proto-Germanic rehtalīkê, rehtalīkô (“rightly”), equivalent to right + -ly. Cognate with West Frisian rjochtlik, Dutch rechtelijk, German rechtlich, Swedish rätteligen, Icelandic réttilega.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.