Righteous vs Rectitude - What's the difference?
righteous | rectitude |
free from sin or guilt
moral and virtuous, suggesting sanctimonious
justified morally
(slang, US) awesome
To make righteous; specifically, to justify religiously, to absolve from sin.
* 2009 , (Diarmaid MacCulloch), A History of Christianity , Penguin 2010, p. 101:
Straightness; the state or quality of having a constant direction and not being crooked or bent.
* 2010 , (Christopher Hitchens), Hitch-22 , Atlantic 2011, p. 98:
Conformity to the rules prescribed for moral conduct; (moral) uprightness, virtue.
* 1776 , , et al.'', ''Declaration of Independence , 4 Jul.:
As an adjective righteous
is free from sin or guilt.As a verb righteous
is to make righteous; specifically, to justify religiously, to absolve from sin.As a noun rectitude is
straightness; the state or quality of having a constant direction and not being crooked or bent.righteous
English
Alternative forms
* (l), (l)Adjective
(en adjective)Derived terms
* righteousness * self-righteousVerb
(es)- Thus for the purposes of being ‘righteoused ’, the Law was irrelevant; yet Paul could not bear to see all the Law disappear.
rectitude
English
(wikipedia rectitude)Noun
- A consciousness of rectitude can be a terrible thing, and in those days I didn't just think that I was right: I thought that “we” (our group of International Socialists in particular) were being damn well proved right.
- We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by authority of the good people of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.