righteous

• rightuous, rightwise (obsolete)

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.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹaɪtʃəs/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -aɪtʃəs

righteous (comparative more righteous, superlative most righteous)

1. Free from sin or guilt.
2. Moral and virtuous, to the point of sanctimonious.

   Human beings should take a righteous path, and so should art. We should promote kindness and beauty through art.

3. Justified morally.

   righteous rage

4. (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.

righteous (third-person singular simple present righteouses, present participle righteousing, simple past and past participle righteoused)

1. 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.