alright

alright — adjective

1. good enough, well, or safe — used to say that someone is fine or that something

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

good enough, well, or safe — used to say that someone is fine or that something is acceptable, though not especially excellent.

Example

Camille twisted her ankle on the stairs, but the doctor said she was alright.

predicative use: someone is alright (= unhurt or fine)

The pizza at that little shop near the station is alright, but nothing special.

alright = acceptable but not impressive

Common collocations
  • feel alright
  • look alright
  • sound alright
  • be alright with someone
Synonyms
  • okay

    same meaning and register; both informal

  • fine

    slightly more positive — 'fine' often suggests no problem at all

  • acceptable

    more formal; suggests it meets a minimum standard

Antonyms
  • wrong

    when 'alright' refers to a situation being fine

  • unwell

    when 'alright' refers to physical health

Grammar Patterns

be + alright

alright + with + someone

Usage Note

'Alright' is the informal alternative spelling of 'all right'. In essays, business writing, and other formal contexts, 'all right' is strongly preferred and many editors still treat 'alright' as an error.

Common Mistakes

Please mark the alright answers on the test.
Please mark the correct answers on the test.
'alright' means 'acceptable' or 'unhurt', not 'right' in the sense of 'correct'.
The report was alright written.
The report was well written.
adjective 'alright' goes after 'be'; for an adverb meaning 'well', see the adverb sense.

alright — exclamation

alright — adverb

Word family

  • all right
    adjectiveA2
  • all right
    adverbB1
  • right
    adjectiveA1
  • rightly
    adverbB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

When you tell a friend that something is 'alright', you mean it is good enough but not impressive — a film, a meal, or how you slept. 'Okay' covers almost the same ground and the two are interchangeable in casual speech, though 'okay' is the safer choice in writing because some editors still treat 'alright' as an error. 'Fine' sounds slightly warmer and often signals that there is no problem at all: 'I'm fine, thanks' feels more positive than 'I'm alright'. 'Acceptable' is more formal and rule-based — a manager calls a report 'acceptable' when it meets the minimum standard, which would sound stiff between friends. Compare: 'The hotel was alright' (a bit dull but not bad), 'The hotel was fine' (no complaints at all), and 'The hotel was acceptable' (it just passed inspection).

alright ↗okay ↗fine ↗acceptable ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • perfectly alright
  • quite alright
  • absolutely alright

Phrases

  • it's alright
  • are you alright?
  • that's alright
  • alright then
  • alright now

Prepositions

  • alright with (someone)
  • alright for (something)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

'Alright' is a one-word respelling of the older two-word phrase 'all right'. The two-word form has been in English since the late Middle Ages, originally meaning 'completely correct' or 'entirely well'. The fused spelling 'alright' began to appear in print only in the late 1800s, possibly modelled on similar mergers like 'already' (from 'all ready') and 'altogether' (from 'all together'). Many style guides still consider 'alright' less proper than 'all right' in formal writing, but it is now everywhere in informal speech, song lyrics, comics, and chat.