ˈrighteously, adv.
Forms: see righteous a.; also 1 -lice, 3 -liche (5 -lyche), 4 -lyke (compar. -liker), -li, 5 -lye, 6 -lie.
[OE. riht-, ryhtw{iacu}sl{iacu}ce: cf. ON. réttv{iacu}sliga (MDa. retviselige, MSw. rätvisliga, Sw. rättvisligen).]
1. Justly, uprightly; in a righteous manner; with due regard to what is right.
| α c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxv. §1 Hu mæᵹ..æniᵹ man ryhtwislice & ᵹesceadwislice acsiᵹan [etc.]. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 753 Þu,..keiser, nauest nawt þis strif rihtwisliche idealet, þæt dest fifti meistres to motin wið a meiden. a 1300 Cursor M. 9708 Of vs four sett es a-sise Rightwisli to do iustise. c 1375 XI Pains of Hell 348 in O.E. Misc. 221 He þat leuys here ryȝtwysly..His soule neuer paynd schal be. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xi. 44 Þat he wald here þaire praier and graunt þat þai asked riȝtwisely. 1474 Caxton Chesse 29 To thende that the Sone shold juge rightwysly. c 1510 Barclay Mirr. Gd. Manners (1570) G v, But a famous merchaunt,..riche, and haboundant, And rightwisely dealing, is not vituperable. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §156 Doo well, and worke ryghtwysly. |
| β 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 5 b, All the chyldren of Israel that dyed ryghtuously vnder the lawe of Moyses. 1533 Gau Richt Vay 85 Supposing thow may richtuslie be ane scherp iuge. |
| γ 1526 Tindale Titus ii. 12 That we shuld live sobre mynded, righteously and godly in this..worlde. 1556 Lauder Tractate 52 Geue thay haif rewlit rychteuslie. 1611 Bible Isa. xxxiii. 15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh vprightly. 1684 Contempl. St. Man ii. ii. (1699) 147 Let us..Live so Righteously and Holily, that we may be thought worthy of that Crown. 1757 W. Wilkie Epigoniad v. 150 Against the foe I'll [never] lift a hostile hand; Till, righteously fulfil'd, the truce expires. 1829 Lytton Devereux i. i, And he solaced himself by righteously governing domains worthy of a prince. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 693 They righteously administered their own land and the rest of Hellas. |
b. = religiously adv. 3.
| 1863 Kinglake Crimea (1877) IV. 398 They did not slip their cable, but righteously got up their anchor. 1868 Ibid. V. 122 As Scarlett had led, so his front line righteously followed. |
† 2. Correctly, rightly; aright.
Obs.| a 1300 Cursor M. 3742 Right-wisli es iacob his nam, Þat es to sai, wit right langage, Supplanter als of heritage. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 709 Ryȝt-wysly quo con rede, He loke on bok & be awayed. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. i. x. 844 Next lyis þe landis of Medy, Off Medus kyng callit richt⁓wisly. 1470–85 Malory Arthur vii. xxvi. 253 Yet sir kay..named hym more righteuously than he wende. 1531 Frith Upon Tracy Wks. (1573) 78 Therfore he doth both righteously and godly deduce his resurrection by Christes. 1561 Brende Q. Curtius (1570) 302 Considering Alexander rightuously, wee must impute all his vertues to his owne nature, and hys vyces eyther to hys youth, or to the greatnes of hys Fortune. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. i. ii. 14 If the truth of thy loue to me were so righteously temper'd, as mine is to thee. |
3. Rightfully, properly, deservedly. Now
rare.
| 1413 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton) i. xix. (1859) 19 Than thou bere thy peyne as thou hast ryghtwysly deseruyd. 1504 Lady Margaret tr. De Imitatione iv. xvii. 281 Benediccions..without ende, whiche rightwisly be due vnto the. 1548–9 (Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer, Litany, Those euilles that we moste righteously haue deserued. |
| c 1840 Sir W. Hamilton Logic (1860) II. App. 264 It is material and precarious, and has righteously been allowed to drop out of science. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xiii. III. 248 William saw that he must not think of paying to the laws of Scotland that..respect which he had wisely and righteously paid to the laws of England. |
† 4. Sc. By legal right; lawfully.
Obs.| 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 131 Here speris the doctour gif a man may for his temporale gudis rychtwisly conquest mak defensable were. 1474 in Acc. Fam. of Innes (1864) 82 With all..richtwis pertinentis to the forseidis landis pertening or that richtwisly may pertene. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. Prol. 17 Ilke hes rychteouslie from age to age succeidet til vther. Ibid. ii. 137 Reuther is rychtuouslie sett in his place. |