George sat at the head of the table, in his rightful place as their leader.rightfulright‧ful /ˈraɪtfəl/ adjective [only before noun] 
George sat at the head of the table, in his rightful place as their leader. I’ll return the money to its rightful owner. the rightful heir to the throne—rightfully adverb: I’m only claiming what is rightfully mine.
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- And who is the paintings' rightful owner?
- Conservatives had come to believe that they were the rightful rulers of the country.
- In the other he remained in full control of events and in full possession of his rightful authority.
- The president should indeed go first; it is his responsibility and rightful role.
- The United States has a rightful claim to global leadership, and other nations hesitate until we act.
- They determine the conditions of legitimacy of the authority and the limits of its rightful power.
- Under the Conservatives, Britain has regained her rightful influence in the world.
- Vice President Rosalia Arteaga also has declared herself the rightful president.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY George sat at the head of the table, in his rightful place as their leader. I’ll return the money to its rightful owner. the rightful heir to the throneCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
George sat at the head of the table, in his rightful place as their leader. I’ll return the money to its rightful owner. the rightful heir to the throne (=the person who should be king)· The Duke of Gloucester claimed that he was the rightful king.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Wasn't he the rightful heir?· Why, for instance, does Dahlia continue to control the purse strings after Ella is revealed as the rightful heir?· The princes had obviously refused to select their prince as Phoenix King although he was obviously the rightful heir to Aenarion.
· In short, he begins to display precisely the comportment his contemporaries would have expected of their rightful king.· He died in 1315, but during his lifetime was still regarded as rightful king by many of his one-time subjects.· He is traditionally associated, very closely, with the Messiah, the anointed one, the rightful king.
· After a few days its rightful owner came to collect it and informed her that it was in fact a ferret.· And who is the paintings' rightful owner?· In addition, art thefts are likely to be pursued by their rightful owners for well over twenty years.· All too soon it became politic to think about returning Tony's toy to its rightful owner.· What about the bird of paradise itself, the rightful owner of the plumes?· The State Licensing office determined Singer was the rightful owner, as it were, of the deactivated license.
· My right hand went instinctively to my sword, thus to force a way through the crowd and take my rightful place.· I returned to my book, the hot feeling in my face returned to its rightful place.· My rightful place is at the top.· And the water moved in its rightful place, looking convincingly innocent.· Because this encounter, unlike those with luscious little Rivaleh, has no rightful place in my script.· Ours was becoming a flawless space in which every object had its rightful place.· Every one of them sprang back, mended, into its rightful place in the line.· Odd how shame found its rightful place in life.
· It welled up, reclaiming its rightful position in the hit parade of the senses: No.· What remains is to solve the problem of restoring the corners of the cube to their rightful positions.· On the other hand, the fact that some lords and knights are double-listed suggests doubt as to their rightful position.· Leonard has been doubly cheated: of his father's presence and his rightful position.· A marked increase in their power would challenge what he surely considered his rightful position within the Yorkist polity.· Pistoliers are young nobles who have yet to win their spurs and assume their rightful position as Knights of the Empire.
WORD FAMILYadverbrightrightlyrightfullyrigheouslyrighteousnessnounrightrightnessrightsrighteousnessadjectiverightrighteousrightfulverbright
formal according to what is correct or what should be done legally or morally: George sat at the head of the table, in his rightful place as their leader. I’ll return the money to its rightful owner. the rightful heir to the throne—rightfully adverb: I’m only claiming what is rightfully mine.