What does "right" mean?

1. (direction) the side of your body that is not the left; for most people, the hand they use to write. 2. (correct) correct or true; not making a mistake. 3. (suitable) the best or most suitable person or thing for a situation. 4. (90-degree angle) describing an angle of 90 degrees, like the corner of a square. 5. (exactly) exactly or directly in a certain place or time. 6. (immediately) immediately or without waiting. 7. (very) very or extremely. 8. (legal entitlement) something that you are morally or legally allowed to do or have. 9. (politics) people or political parties that support traditional or conservative ideas. 10. (to correct) to fix a bad situation or put something back in its correct position. 11. (agreement) used to show that you agree or understand what someone said.

right — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01direction

A1 · Beginner

adj. the side of your body that is not the left; for most people, the hand they use to write.

adj. relating to the side of the body which is to the east when facing north.

“In many countries, people drive on the right side of the road.”

“The patient reported a sharp, recurring pain in her right shoulder that worsened whenever she attempted to lift heavy objects.”

Antonyms

left

02correct

A1 · Beginner

adj. correct or true; not making a mistake.

adj. conforming to facts, truth, or a required standard.

“I hope I gave the right answer to the teacher's question.”

“After reviewing the data, the researchers concluded that their initial hypothesis had been right all along.”

Synonyms

correct accurate true

Antonyms

wrong incorrect

03suitable

B1 · Intermediate

adj. the best or most suitable person or thing for a situation.

adj. appropriate or fitting for a particular purpose or person.

“It took a long time to find the right person for the job.”

“Finding the right balance between professional ambition and personal well-being is a challenge for many modern workers.”

Synonyms

suitable appropriate proper

Antonyms

unsuitable wrong

0490-degree angle

B2 · Upper Intermediate Mathematics

adj. describing an angle of 90 degrees, like the corner of a square.

adj. denoting an angle of 90 degrees, formed by two perpendicular lines.

“A square has four right angles.”

“The architect ensured that every corner of the foundation formed a perfect right angle to prevent structural issues later.”

Synonyms

perpendicular

05exactly

A2 · Elementary

adv. exactly or directly in a certain place or time.

adv. precisely or directly; used to emphasize a location or time.

“The shop is right next to the cinema.”

“The keys were sitting right where I had left them on the kitchen counter.”

Synonyms

exactly precisely directly

06immediately

A2 · Elementary

adv. immediately or without waiting.

adv. immediately or at once; often used in the phrase 'right away'.

“I'll be right back after I finish this phone call.”

“The manager requested that the errors in the report be corrected right away to avoid misleading the board.”

Synonyms

immediately instantly

Antonyms

later

07very

C1 · Advanced Dialect · British English

adv. very or extremely.

adv. used as an intensifier meaning 'very' or 'extremely'.

“That was a right mess you made in the kitchen.”

“He knew right well that he shouldn't have signed the contract without reading the fine print first.”

Synonyms

very extremely quite

08legal entitlement

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Law

n. something that you are morally or legally allowed to do or have.

n. a moral or legal entitlement to have or do something.

“Every child should have the right to go to school.”

“The constitutional amendment was designed to protect the individual's right to privacy in the digital age.”

Synonyms

entitlement privilege claim

09politics

B2 · Upper Intermediate Plural noun Politics

n. people or political parties that support traditional or conservative ideas.

n. the conservative or reactionary section of a political party or system.

“The candidate is popular with voters on the right.”

“The shift toward the political right in recent elections has led to significant changes in economic policy.”

Synonyms

conservatives

Antonyms

the left

10to correct

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to fix a bad situation or put something back in its correct position.

v. to restore to a normal or correct state or position.

“The boat tipped over, but the crew managed to right it.”

“The company took immediate steps to right the situation after the public relations disaster.”

Synonyms

correct rectify fix

11agreement

A2 · Elementary Informal

interj. used to show that you agree or understand what someone said.

interj. used to express agreement, understanding, or to signal a transition in conversation.

“'We're meeting at six.' 'Right, see you then.'”

“'Right, let's move on to the next item on the agenda,' the chairperson said, effectively ending the debate.”

Synonyms

okay agreed

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “right” in context.

01. human right 02. right helpful 03. right homogeneous

From Middle English right, from Old English riht, reht (“right,” also the word for “straight” and “direct”), from Proto-West Germanic reht, from Proto-Germanic rehtaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵtós (“having moved in a straight line”), from h₃reǵ- (“to straighten, direct”). The Germanic adjective which has been used also as a noun since the common Germanic period. Cognates Cognate with West Frisian rjocht (“right”), Dutch recht (“straight”), German recht and Recht (“right”), Luxembourgish Recht, riets (“right”), riicht (“straight”), Yiddish רעכט (rekht, “right”), Danish ret (“right”), Faroese rættur (“right”), Icelandic réttur (“right”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk rett (“right”), Swedish rätt, rät (“right”). The Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek ὀρεκτός (orektós) and Latin rēctus; Albanian drejt was borrowed from Latin.

From Middle English right, righte, from Old English rihte, rehte (“right; rightly; due; directly; straight”), from Proto-Germanic rehta, from rehtaz (“right; straight”).

From Middle English right, from Old English riht, reht, ġeriht (“that which is right, just, or proper”), from Proto-West Germanic reht, from Proto-Germanic rehtą (“a right”), from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵtom, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵt- (“to straighten; direct”). Cognate with Dutch recht (“a right; privilege”), German Recht (“a right”), Danish ret (“a right”).

From Middle English righten, reghten, riȝten, from Old English rihtan, ġerihtan (“to straighten, judge, set upright, set right”), from Proto-West Germanic rihtijan, from Proto-Germanic rihtijaną (“to straighten; rectify; judge”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

ADJECTIVE

right(A1)

ADVERB

argument Hand human rights right now turn