rectitude
noun
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The Right Definition of Rectitude
Ready for some straight talk about rectitude? Righto! Rectitude is a formal word that comes from the Latin adjective rectus, which means both “right” and “straight,” and ultimately from the Latin verb regere, meaning “to lead straight.” Rectitude today typically refers to moral integrity—that is, to “straightness” or “rightness” of character. (An early use referred literally to a straight line, but that sense is now rare.) Rectus has a number of other descendants in English, including rectangle (a closed four-sided figure with four right angles), rectify (“to make right”), rectilinear (“moving in or forming a straight line”), and even rectus itself, a medical term for any one of several straight muscles in the body.
Synonyms
Examples of rectitude in a Sentence
Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2024
Sheridan's Jamie has a quiet courage and sense of moral rectitude, which contrasts with Terry's more erratic approach to police work.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2024
To establish internal discipline and moral rectitude, Yassin set up the Majd and selected Yahya Sinwar to help lead it.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2024
And this has long presented a puzzle: How can people who prize moral rectitude and personal witness to Jesus so faithfully support the most secular president in American history, someone who seems by his behavior at best indifferent to Christianity?
—Shadi Hamid, Washington Post, 17 June 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near rectitude
Cite this Entry
“Rectitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rectitude. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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rectitude
noun
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