Definitions

righteous

[rahy-chuhs] / ˈraɪ tʃəs /

ADJECTIVE

good, honest

Synonyms

STRONGEST

conscientious ethical honorable law-abiding noble pure spiritual upright virtuous

WEAK

angelic blameless charitable commendable creditable deserving devoted devout dutiful equitable exemplary fair faithful godlike guiltless holy impartial innocent irreproachable just laudable matchless meritorious moral peerless philanthropic philanthropical praiseworthy punctilious reverent right-minded saintly scrupulous sinless sterling trustworthy worthy

Antonyms

STRONGEST

corrupt dishonest immoral unethical unjust vulgar

WEAK

bad unfair

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Vance, a longtime critic of European migration policies, called for "righteous anger" in response to the case.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

What stood out to me while reading both articles is that both sportsmen are righteous, grateful people who honor their parents in meaningful ways.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

"Our righteous anger is overwhelming, compounded by your total lack of remorse," she told Stokoe.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

There are moments in the storytelling that skew toward the overly solemn, or overly righteous, and fans of other sports might think they deserve equal time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

I stood still, feeling more defeated by the righteous boy behind me than by Aunt Addie.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

Vocabulary lists containing righteous

Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)

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Donald Trump Inauguration Address- January 20, 2017

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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 14–18

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