What does righty mean?
Righty is an informal word for someone who holds conservative or right-wing political views, or for something regarded as characteristic of such views. It can be used as an adjective, as in “righty politics,” or as a noun to refer to a conservative voter, politician, or commentator. The term often carries a disparaging or dismissive tone: a speaker may use it to imply that opponents are doctrinaire, reactionary, or politically untrustworthy, while people who identify with the political right may use it about themselves in a humorous or self-aware way. The word is chiefly associated with North American political language. It also has the older and much less common sense of a right-handed person, in which context it is generally neutral. Although related to the neutral noun right, righty is not an exact synonym for it: right can refer to an entitlement, a direction, correctness, or political conservatism, whereas righty primarily labels a person or a viewpoint.
Having or expressing conservative, right-wing political views.
"The newspaper described the campaign as an attempt to impose righty policies."
Informal and often derogatory, especially when used by political opponents.
A person who holds conservative, right-wing political views.
"The commentator accused the council of being controlled by righties."
Chiefly North American and often dismissive; it can also be used jocularly by people who identify as politically conservative.
The plural is standard but relatively uncommon, reflecting the word's mainly informal and often derogatory register.
"The programme invited two righties from the opposition party to discuss the policy."
What began as a word for a right-handed person evolved into a politically loaded label for the right.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does righty come from?
Righty was formed from right with the suffix -y. Its older sense for a right-handed person developed before its modern political meaning, which came to denote a person or viewpoint associated with the political right. The word shares the Germanic root of righteous, rightful, and rightness, although its suffix and political use are separate from those forms.
How righty is actually used
In contemporary political use, this word is informal and can be derogatory or dismissive, especially when used by someone outside the political right. It is more common in North American English than in British English.
Easily confused with righty
A right is a moral or legal entitlement, whereas a righty is a person associated with conservative political views.