Meaning & use
rightfully so
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
Used after a statement to say that what was just described is fair, deserved or justified.
Grammar: Comes at the end of a clause, often after a comma or and: fans were upset, and rightfully so.
Patterns
- adjective, and rightfully so
- verb something, rightfully so
Residents were angry about the delay, and rightfully so.
She is proud of her team, rightfully so.
The coach was criticized, and rightfully so.
Common combinations
- proud, and rightfully so
- He is proud of his garden, and rightfully so.
- angry, and rightfully so
- Customers were angry, and rightfully so.
- worried, and rightfully so
- Parents are worried, and rightfully so.
- praised, rightfully so
- The nurses were praised, rightfully so.
Synonyms and how they differ
- understandably
- Understandably says that a reaction is easy to understand, not necessarily that it is deserved.
- deservedly
- Deservedly suggests that someone earned praise or blame, so it is stronger on merit.
- justifiably
- Justifiably is more formal and highlights that there are reasons to defend the reaction.
- with good reason
- With good reason is a plainer phrase that could appear in a similar position.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: rightfully so or rightly so?
rightfully so vs rightly so
Rightly so means nearly the same as rightfully so. Rightfully often suggests a claim based on fairness or law, and rightly suggests simply being correct.
Practice
Fans were upset by the sudden price rise, and ____.
Choose one answer.
Rightfully so is the fixed phrase meaning justified. The other options are not grammatical in this position.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rightfully so”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.