Righteous Definition

rīchəs

adjective

Acting in a just, upright manner; doing what is right; virtuous.

A righteous man.

Webster's New World

Morally right; fair and just.

A righteous act.

Webster's New World

In accordance with virtue or morality.

A righteous judgment.

American Heritage

Morally justifiable.

Full of righteous anger.

Webster's New World

Good, excellent, satisfying, pleasant, authentic, etc.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

Righteous people considered as a group.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

verb

To make righteous; specifically, to justify religiously, to absolve from sin.

Wiktionary

Origin of Righteous

From earlier rightuous, rightwose, rightwos, rightwise, from Middle English rightwise, rightwis, from Old English rihtwÄ«s (“righteous, just, right, justifiable"), corresponding to right +"Ž -wise (with assimilation of second element to -ous), or to right +"Ž wise (“way, manner"). Cognate with Scots richtwis (“righteous"), Old High German rehtwÄ«sic (“righteous, just"), Icelandic réttvíss (“righteous, just"). Compare also thefteous, mighteous.

From Wiktionary
Middle English ryghtuous alteration of rihtwise from Old English rihtwīs riht right right -wīse -wise

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition