righteous stresses guiltlessness or blamelessness and often suggests the sanctimonious.
wished to be righteous before God and the world
noble implies moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean, or dubious in conduct and character.
had the noblest of reasons for seeking office
Example Sentences
The mix of Yorkshire-inherited bluntness and a caustic, chirpy South London cynicism (vividly parodied and perhaps too endearingly celebrated in the voice of Dora Chance, narrator of Wise Children) stops her from sounding righteous or dogmatic. Hermione Lee, Times Literary Supplement, 19 June 1992I didn't know until long after I was grown that Grandpa Durham—that stern and righteous Baptist—sometimes made persimmon beer and cooled it in the cistern. Jim W. Corder, Chronicle of a Small Town, 1989He was foreman at Lyman's North End foundry, the largest stove-making foundry in the city, and had risen in eleven years, despite his lung ailment, from apprentice to moulder to chief grievance spokesman, a voice of righteous reason from below. William Kennedy, Harper's, March 1988The Believers tried to lead a simple, righteous life, practicing pacifism and confession of sins and recognizing the equality of all humankind. Robert P. Emlen, Natural History, September 1987 a righteous man can be trusted to act honorably regardless of the circumstances righteous behavior is its own rewardSee More
Recent Examples on the WebIvanka Dymyd knew her son burned with righteous indignation toward injustice in general and Russia in particular. Martin Kuz, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Aug. 2022 Russell often criticized how righteous certainty can lead to war. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 June 2021 Judgments, righteous anger and control can lead to interpersonal problems. Andrew Hartz, WSJ, 7 Aug. 2022 Discipline was for generations the father’s domain, and righteous anger gave fatherhood meaning. Andrew Aoyama, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2022 Would their righteous judgment have inspired them to sit on their hands, shunning him?Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2022 Some were righteous, some dour, some relaxed and prone to levity. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Aug. 2022 However, there is a large cohort that thinks the medicine must be taken and must be foul to be righteous. Clem Chambers, Forbes, 7 July 2022 We were sold dreams of upcoming fairness, but what is righteous is clearly weighty. Brooklyn White, Essence, 25 May 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
alteration of earlier rightuous, alteration of Middle English rightwise, rightwos, from Old English rihtwīs, from riht, noun, right + wīs wise