alright English · revision 5334

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=1884}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ɔːlˈraɪt/, US /ɔːlˈraɪt/, /ɑːlˈraɪt/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a spelling of [[all right]] as one word,^(Etymonline)^(Collins 2023)^(OED 1989) compounded of [[all]] and [[right]].^(Klein 1966) MWU traces it to Middle English alright, alriht.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ As a frequent spelling of all right it is attested in print by 1884 in Etymonline, 1887 in Merriam-Webster and 1893 in the OED;^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989) MWU gives a first known use of 1662.^(MWU 2024) A Middle English adverb alright “just, exactly” is from about 1175.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ According to Merriam-Webster, the one-word spelling appeared some 75 years after ''all right'' itself came back into use after an absence of 400 years.^(MW Collegiate) Fowler wrote that there was no such form, though it was often seen in manuscript even if printers seldom let it appear.^(Etymonline) Unlike altogether and already, which merged much earlier, alright is not recorded until the end of the 19th century.^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1175 – Middle English alright, “exactly”.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1884 – the modern spelling in print.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # A variant spelling of [[all right]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # A variant spelling of all right: satisfactory, or safe and well.^(Collins 2023)^(COED 2004)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[all right]]

+ * [[already]]

+ * [[altogether]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Since the early 20th century some critics have insisted that alright is wrong, but it has defenders and users, especially in journalism, business writing and fictional dialogue.^(MW Collegiate) Many people still consider it unacceptable in formal writing, although single-word forms such as [[altogether]] have long been accepted,^(COED 2004)^(Collins 2023) and the American Heritage Dictionary labels it nonstandard.^(AHD 2000)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}