Righteous means morally right and good, or acting according to what's fair and just. When someone does the righteous thing, they choose what's right even when it's difficult or unpopular. A person who stands up for a classmate being teased is acting righteously. A judge who rules fairly, no matter who's involved, demonstrates righteous behavior.

The word has a strong, almost noble quality to it. Righteous suggests having genuine conviction about right and wrong and acting on those principles with courage. Throughout history, people have fought for righteous causes like ending slavery, securing voting rights, or protecting the innocent.

Sometimes people use righteous to describe justified anger: righteous indignation means being angry about something that truly deserves anger, like witnessing someone cheat or lie. This isn't petty anger over small things, but outrage at real injustice.

However, the word has a close cousin worth knowing: self-righteous. While righteousness is admirable, being self-righteous means acting superior and judging others harshly while overlooking your own faults. A self-righteous person lectures everyone else about being late while showing up late themselves. True righteousness includes humility; self-righteousness is its hollow, preachy imitation.