as in innocently
with purity of thought and deed
if you have acted righteously, you have nothing to fear
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Recent Examples of righteously
The darkly comic crime drama pits Frances McDormand's righteously furious mom against a police force that hasn't caught her daughter's killer.
—
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
But O’Hara is best known for her role as Kate McCallister in Home Alone, the distracted, frantic, righteously determined mom to Macaulay Culkin’s precocious 8-year-old Kevin.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Polak is a symbol of virtue where conscience reigns over fear and intimidation to refute the hateful and divisive rhetoric of people like Charile Kirk who self-righteously relished in denigrating and dehumanizing others in a most un-Christian way.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
This includes even the discourse of human rights that was righteously invoked against Communism and then against Muslim countries, enshrined by numerous American reports, and wielded to justify economic sanctions.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
But O’Hara is best known for her role as Kate McCallister in Home Alone, the distracted, frantic, righteously determined mom to Macaulay Culkin’s precocious 8-year-old Kevin.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Polak is a symbol of virtue where conscience reigns over fear and intimidation to refute the hateful and divisive rhetoric of people like Charile Kirk who self-righteously relished in denigrating and dehumanizing others in a most un-Christian way.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
This includes even the discourse of human rights that was righteously invoked against Communism and then against Muslim countries, enshrined by numerous American reports, and wielded to justify economic sanctions.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for righteously
Adverb
-
Bethenny Frankel was innocently applying a roller on her face to help with inflammation on Thursday on Instagram.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The mistake begins innocently enough.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Everyone is urged to properly dispose of cigarette butts, matches, and any other flammable items in appropriate containers.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Shades of Apollo 13 The Artemis astronauts will orbit Earth for a day to make certain everything is working properly before igniting the main engine and heading for the moon.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Her love of the game and drive to improve was coming purely from within.—
Charles Baggarly
April 2,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
-
One Emirati said people in the UAE want their military to impose a cost on Iran and are no longer satisfied with a purely defensive posture.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The cast’s sole survivor is Jessica Hecht, who pours miraculous warmth and complexity into her faintly insulting role as Colleen, the head teller, a morally upright spinster goosed by her flirtation with Sonny and the spotlight.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Anyone swanning about feeling morally superior just hasn’t yet had their number called.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Some of us virtuously recycle items that will be transported across the world to smother island nations in single-use plastic bags and water bottles, milk jugs, yogurt tubs, pet food and potato chip bags, Styrofoam meat trays, Coke bottles, Amazon mailing envelopes, and fast-food wrappers.—
Caroline Fraser,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The glorious sweep of progress toward Roman civilization and prosperity means the end of an idyllic, virtuously rustic Golden Age.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Righteously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/righteously. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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