rectitude
Definitions
Morally correct behavior or thinking; uprightness and honesty.
正直，品行端正；廉正。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedrect (straight) + -itude (state of) = "the state of being straight" — but applied to character rather than lines. Rectitude is moral straightness: honesty and uprightness with no crooked dealings, exactly parallel to the native phrase being upright.
Root rect still carries 10 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.moral rectitude道德正直
- 2.personal rectitude个人品行端正
- 3.rectitude of character品格廉正
Example Sentences
- 1.
He was admired for his integrity and moral rectitude.
- 2.
The judge was known for her unbending rectitude.
- 3.
They questioned the rectitude of the company's accounting.
Synonym Comparison
- rectitude — formal, almost solemn; moral straightness and strict honesty
- integrity — the most common word; being whole and consistent in one's principles
- honesty — plain truthfulness; the everyday baseline
- probity — very formal/literary, especially about money and public trust
- virtue — broad moral goodness, not specifically about being straight