as in deserved
being what is called for by accepted standards of right and wrong
in light of her admission of having lied, the only rightful course of action for the governor would be to resign
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Recent Examples of rightful
The fraud ultimately stripped Ana Knezevich of her rightful share of approximately $6 million in equity, according to the complaint.
—
Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2026
The city released the list in hopes of finding the rightful owners.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Throughout the upcoming reality series, viewers will watch Shelton and his team tackle similar nail-biting situations each episode to return homes to their rightful owners.
—Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
The Shiʿi sect of Islam believes that Prophet Muhammad’s cousin, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, was the prophet’s rightful successor as the leader of the Islamic world; the Sunnis believe that a leader should have been chosen from among the masses, leading to tensions between these two major Islamic sects.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rightful
Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2026
The city released the list in hopes of finding the rightful owners.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Throughout the upcoming reality series, viewers will watch Shelton and his team tackle similar nail-biting situations each episode to return homes to their rightful owners.
—Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
The Shiʿi sect of Islam believes that Prophet Muhammad’s cousin, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, was the prophet’s rightful successor as the leader of the Islamic world; the Sunnis believe that a leader should have been chosen from among the masses, leading to tensions between these two major Islamic sects.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rightful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rightful
Adjective
-
Her new friends include Sam (Bianca Dumais), a rock-chick type who’s the same age as Franny and who has developed a reputation for promiscuity around town that doesn’t seem deserved.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
25 May 2026
-
Trai Hume gives Sunderland the lead against Chelsea Sunderland dominate the first quarter of this match and take a deserved lead in the 25th minute via Trai Hume.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
While many agree that the bombing of Hiroshima was justified, there was no public outcry of genocide when the bomb fell on Nagasaki.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2026
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There is a lot of excitement around AI in energy and some of it is justified.—
Gregory Shahnovsky,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rightful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rightful. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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