<B>rightful, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>according to law; by rights; legal. <BR> <I>Ex. the rightful owner of this dog.</I> (SYN) lawful, legitimate. <DD><B> 2. </B>just and right; proper; fair. <BR> <I>Ex. rightful demands.</I> (SYN) due. noun <B>rightfulness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="rightfully">
<B>rightfully, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>according to right, law, or justice; in a rightful manner; legitimately. <BR> <I>Ex. a title rightfully vested.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>properly; fittingly. </DL>
<A NAME="righthand">
<B>right hand,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the hand on the right side of the body, normally the stronger and more used of the two. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) a person of great usefulness to someone; very efficient or indispensable helper. <DD><B> 3. </B>the right side. </DL>
<A NAME="righthand">
<B>right-hand, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>on or to the right. <BR> <I>Ex. a right-hand turn.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>of, for, or with the right hand; right-handed. <BR> <I>Ex. a right-hand drive.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) most helpful or useful. <BR> <I>Ex. a right-hand man.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="righthanded">
<B>right-handed, </B>adjective, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>using the right hand more easily and readily than the left. <BR> <I>Ex. So Uncle Bob started early to convert a naturally right-handed boy into a southpaw (Time).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>done with the right hand. <DD><B> 3. </B>made to be used with the right hand. <DD><B> 4. </B>turning from left to right. <BR> <I>Ex. a right-handed screw.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>having a spiral that winds from left to right. <BR> <I>Ex. a right-handed thread.</I> <DD><I>adv. </I> toward the right; with the right hand. adv. <B>right-handedly.</B> noun <B>right-handedness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="righthander">
<B>right-hander, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a right-handed person. <DD><B> 2. </B>a right-handed baseball pitcher. <DD><B> 3. </B>a blow given by the right hand. </DL>
<A NAME="righthandrule">
<B>right-hand rule,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a rule used in electricity to show the relation between the direction of the current and the magnetic poles in an electric motor. <BR> <I>Ex. The right-hand rule ... states that if the forefinger of the right hand has the shape and direction of the current flow, the thumb of the right hand points to the north pole of the induced magnetic field (Scientific American).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rightism">
<B>rightism</B> or <B>Rightism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> adherence or tendency to adhere to conservative or reactionary views in politics. </DL>
<A NAME="rightist">
<B>rightist</B> or <B>Rightist, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a person who has conservative or reactionary ideas in politics. <BR> <I>Ex. Angrily the extreme rightists strode from the Chamber (Time).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a member of a conservative or reactionary political organization. <DD><I>adj. </I> having conservative or reactionary ideas in politics. </DL>
<A NAME="rightly">
<B>rightly, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>justly; fairly. <BR> <I>Ex. The decision was rightly made by a judge.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>correctly; exactly; accurately. <BR> <I>Ex. He rightly guessed that I was safe.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>properly; in a suitable manner. <BR> <I>Ex. We were rightly repaid for our expenses.</I> (SYN) appropriately, suitably. </DL>
<A NAME="rightminded">
<B>right-minded, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having right opinions or principles. (SYN) honest, upright. noun <B>right-mindedness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="righto">
<B>righto, </B>interjection.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) all right; O.K. </DL>
<A NAME="rightofcenter">
<B>right-of-center, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> occupying a position on the right side of those in the center; holding a rightist view in politics; right-wing. <BR> <I>Ex. a right-of-center party or regime.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rightofsearch">
<B>right of search,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the searching of a vessel or the examining of its papers, cargo, or crew, by officers of a belligerent state to learn its nationality, whether it carries contraband, its destination, and other particulars. </DL>
<A NAME="rightofvisit">
<B>right of visit</B> or <B>right of visit and search,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Especially British.) right of search. </DL>
<A NAME="rightofway">
<B>right of way,</B> pl. <B>rights of way</B> or <B>right of ways.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the right to go first; precedence over all others, especially the right of a vehicle to cross in front of another. <DD><B> 2. </B>the right to pass over another's property. <DD><B> 3. </B>a strip of land: <DD><B> a. </B>on which others have the right to pass. <DD><B> b. </B>on which a public highway, power line, railroad, sewer line, or public utility or service is built. </DL>
<A NAME="righton">
<B>right-on, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Slang.) being right on; completely correct, true, or trustworthy. <BR> <I>Ex. In Boston, [he] is known as a "right-on lawyer"--he defends blacks, war protesters, and poor people (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rights">
<B>rights, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> See under <B>right.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="rights">
<B>Rights, </B>noun pl. <B>Bill of.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> See <B>Bill of Rights.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="righttodie">
<B>right-to-die, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> opposed to the use of artificial measures or extreme treatment to prolong the life of a person who is incurably ill or injured. <BR> <I>Ex. The Quinlan case gave impetus to the so-called right-to-die movement, and California ... became the first state to enact a right-to-die law (Michael Wheeler).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="righttolife">
<B>right-to-life, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> advocating or supporting laws to make induced abortions illegal; opposed to abortion; pro-life. <BR> <I>Ex. He has drawn criticism from right-to-life groups for his refusal to support a constitutional amendment on abortion (Time).</I> noun <B>right-to-lifer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="righttowork">
<B>right-to-work, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) of or having to do with the right of a worker to get or keep a job whether he belongs or does not belong to a labor union. <BR> <I>Ex. a right-to-work policy. Right-to-work laws ban the union shop, which requires a worker to join the union at a plant to continue working at the plant (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="righttriangle">
<B>right triangle,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a triangle with one right angle. </DL>
<A NAME="rightward">
<B>rightward, </B>adverb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> on or toward the right. </DL>
<B>right whale,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of several whales from which whalebone and oil are obtained. Right whales have very large heads, a bonnet on the snout, and about 350 long, toothlike whalebones on each side of the mouth to sieve food from the water which they gulp. </DL>
<A NAME="rightwhaledolphin">
<B>right whale dolphin,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a small black dolphin of Pacific waters, with a white belly and without a dorsal fin. </DL>
<A NAME="rightwing">
<B>right wing,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>Often, <B>Right Wing.</B> the conservative or reactionary members, especially of a political party. <BR> <I>Ex. There is no sign that the right wing of the party will call off its crusade to drive him from the party (New York Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>persons or parties holding conservative or reactionary views. </DL>
<A NAME="rightwing">
<B>right-wing, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> belonging to or like the right wing. </DL>
<A NAME="rightwinger">
<B>right-winger, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a right-wing member of a political group or political party. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person who has conservative or reactionary ideas in politics. </DL>
<A NAME="rightwingism">
<B>right-wingism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the doctrines or practices of right-wingers. </DL>
<A NAME="righty">
<B>righty, </B>noun, pl. <B>righties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(U.S. Informal.) a right-handed person. <BR> <I>Ex. Switch-hitters traditionally do better against righties (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(British Informal.) a conservative or reactionary; right-winger. <BR> <I>Ex. The frightening gulf of our day ... between lefties and righties (Manchester Guardian Weekly).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rigid">
<B>rigid, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>stiff; firm; not bending. <BR> <I>Ex. a rigid support. Hold your arm rigid.</I> (SYN) unyielding, unbending. <DD><B> 2. </B>strict; not changing. <BR> <I>Ex. rigid discipline. In our home, it is a rigid rule to wash one's hands before eating. The young man is under the dictates of a rigid schoolmaster or instructor (Sir Richard Steele).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>severely exact; rigorous. <BR> <I>Ex. a rigid examination.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>having a framework within the envelope to maintain its shape. <BR> <I>Ex. a rigid airship.</I> adv. <B>rigidly.</B> noun <B>rigidness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="rigidification">
<B>rigidification, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act or process of rigidifying. <BR> <I>Ex. Confinement obviously makes for rigidification of behavior (New Scientist).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the result of rigidifying; being rigidified. <BR> <I>Ex. personality rigidification.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rigidify">
<B>rigidify, </B>transitive verb, intransitive verb, <B>-fied,</B> <B>-fying.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to make or become rigid. <BR> <I>Ex. The proliferation of controls rigidifies the industry (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rigidity">
<B>rigidity, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>stiffness; firmness. <BR> <I>Ex. the rigidity of an iron bar.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>strictness; severity. <BR> <I>Ex. the rigidity of a school regulation.</I> (SYN) stringency. </DL>
<A NAME="rigidize">
<B>rigidize, </B>transitive verb, intransitive verb, <B>-ized,</B> <B>-izing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to rigidify. <BR> <I>Ex. Once inflated, the balloon is rigidized mechanically by stretching the skin beyond its elastic limit (Science News Letter).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rigmarole">
<B>rigmarole, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> foolish talk or activity; words or action without meaning; nonsense. <BR> <I>Ex. But was it not in order to cope with the situation ... that the Government set up in recent years ... the whole rigmarole of scheduling, listing, and building preservation orders? (London Times).</I> <DL COMPACT><DD> Also, <B>rigamarole.</B> </DL>
</DL>
<A NAME="rigolette">
<B>rigolette, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a kind of knitted wool scarf, worn as a headcovering by women. </DL>
