Master confusing words with ease
Rightfully vs. Rightly
Rightfully
/ˈraɪtfəli/Examples:
He rightfully deserved the award for his efforts.The crown was rightfully his by birthright.She was rightfully proud of her achievements.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Rightly
/ˈraɪtli/Examples:
She was rightly praised for her efforts.The decision was rightly questioned by analysts.Rightly so, the rule was changed to improve safety.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Rightfully often carries a sense of entitlement or legal/ethical correctness, like having a right to something.
- Rightly is used more in the sense of moral or logical correctness, often implying an opinion or judgment that is correct.
- To remember the difference, associate rightfully with right as in legal rights, and rightly with right as in correct or proper reasoning.
- Think of rightfully where you might use justly regarding ownership or claims, and rightly where you might use correctly relating to opinions or evaluations.
- Consider rightfully as stronger and more official, while rightly has a more personal opinion or judgment feel to it.
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