Rightful

How to spell rightful

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce rightful

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does rightful mean?

1. adjectiveHaving a legitimate or lawful claim to something; held or due by right.

Rightful in a sentence

• After years in court, she was finally named the rightful owner of the house.

• The museum agreed to return the painting to its rightful heir.

Where does rightful come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is a native English formation, joining the old adjective 'right' to the suffix '-ful'. The first part descends from Old English 'riht', meaning 'straight, just, correct, or lawful', which itself goes back to a Germanic root tied to ideas of straightness and what is set upright or correct; the same ancient root surfaces in the Latin 'rectus', meaning 'straight', which is why words like 'rectify' and 'correct' feel related. The suffix '-ful' simply meant 'full of' or 'characterised by', so 'rightful' originally carried the sense of being 'full of right', that is, just or lawful. The compound was already in use in Middle English to describe a person or claim that was legitimate and proper. Over time the legal flavour grew stronger, so today 'rightful' most often labels a lawful owner, heir, or entitlement. A useful spelling cue is that it is just the plain word 'right' (silent 'gh' and all) with a single -ful ending: only one 'l', never two.

How the word is built

• right (just, lawful, from Old English riht)
• -ful (adjective suffix: full of, characterised by)