Righteousness is the state of behaving as morality demands. Preach righteousness, a sense of righteousness, self-righteousness.
It is a religious word above all, and outside that context it is faintly suspect — self-righteousness is much the commoner compound, and it means being pleased with your own virtue. The word was once rightwiseness, meaning wise in what is right.
1nounrighteousnessThe state of behaving as morality demands.
“The preacher urged his followers to live a life of righteousness and honesty.”
righteousness is a moral state.
Old English rihtwisnes meant justice, literally right-wise-ness. The spelling was reshaped over time.
Proto-Indo-European
*h₃reǵ-
Old English
rihtwīsnes — justice
Middle English
rightwisnes
English, today
righteousness
From earlier rightwiseness, from Middle English rightwisnes, from Old English rihtwīsnes (“justice”), equivalent to righteous + -ness.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA