wrong

[ rawng, rong ]

/ rɔŋ, rɒŋ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: wrong / wronged / wrongest / wrongs on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not in accordance with what is morally right or good: a wrong deed.

deviating from truth or fact; erroneous: a wrong answer.

not correct in action, judgment, opinion, method, etc., as a person; in error: You are wrong to blame him.

not proper or usual; not in accordance with requirements or recommended practice: the wrong way to hold a golf club.

out of order; awry; amiss: Something is wrong with the machine.

not suitable or appropriate: He always says the wrong thing.

(of clothing) that should be worn or kept inward or under: You're wearing the sweater wrong side out.

noun

that which is wrong, or not in accordance with morality, goodness, or truth; evil: I committed many wrongs.

an injustice: The wrongs they suffered aged them.

Law.

an invasion of another's right, to his damage.
a tort.

adverb

in a wrong manner; not rightly; awry; amiss: You did it wrong again.

verb (used with object)

to do wrong to; treat unfairly or unjustly; harm.

to impute evil to (someone) unjustly; malign.

OTHER WORDS FOR wrong

1 bad, evil, wicked, sinful, immoral, iniquitous, reprehensible; crooked.

2 inaccurate, incorrect, false, untrue, mistaken.

6 improper, unsuitable.

8 misdeed, immorality, wickedness, sin, vice.

12 maltreat, abuse, oppress, cheat, defraud, dishonor.

See synonyms for wrong on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about wrong

get in wrong, Slang. to cause to come into disfavor: We are forever getting in wrong with the people next door.

go wrong,

to go amiss; fail: Everything is going wrong today.
to pursue an immoral course; become depraved: Bad friends caused him to go wrong.

in the wrong, to blame; in error: He knew he was in the wrong but refused to concede the point.

Origin of wrong

before 1100; (adj.) Middle English wrong, wrang,Old English wrang, perhaps <Old Danish wrang; compare Danish vrang wrong, Old Norse rangr awry; (v. and adv.) Middle English, derivative of the adj.; (noun) Middle English; Old English wrang, derivative of the adj.; akin to wring

OTHER WORDS FROM wrong

wronger, nounwrongly, adverbwrongness, nounquasi-wrong, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wrong

wrong , wrongful

Words nearby wrong

written, Written Law, W.R.N.S., wrnt., Wrocław, wrong, wrongdoer, wrongdoing, wronged, wrong font, wrong-foot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wrong in a sentence

Wharton School professor Adam Grant has spent a lot of time studying what’s wrong with job interviews.
The startup Adam Grant is betting on to fix bias in hiring is out of stealth mode|Sarah Todd|September 15, 2020|Quartz
It was generated by researchers to illustrate what can go wrong when you try to classify people as responders or non-responders based on a single set of measurements.
Why Altitude Training Helps Some but Not Others|Alex Hutchinson|September 11, 2020|Outside Online
Rather, the history of science is full of mistakes and wrong turns.
A secret of science: Mistakes boost understanding|Rachel Kehoe|September 10, 2020|Science News For Students
Hemmerling emailed the person back saying she had been ticketed under the wrong code section and would not have to pay or go to court.
Those Ticketed for Seditious Language Say Their Only Crime Was Talking Back|Kate Nucci|September 9, 2020|Voice of San Diego

Most of us, most of the time, think and act as though there are facts about good and bad, right and wrong.
The Universe Knows Right from Wrong - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Philip Goff|September 9, 2020|Nautilus
But Cosby Truthers are applying their principles to the wrong cause.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Andy Serkis, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Do you want to be on the wrong side of history, Academy?
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’|Marlow Stern|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, publicizing tragedy gets clicks, gets ad revenue, gets notoriety, and can be done for all the wrong reasons.
Cover-Ups and Concern Trolls: Actually, It's About Ethics in Suicide Journalism|Arthur Chu|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Too bad director Ava DuVernay gets the history wrong in Selma.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The only great thing he did as governor was to insist that the death penalty was just wrong.
Mario Cuomo: An OK Governor, but a Far Better Person|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He asked what time was usually spent in determining between right and wrong, and what degree of expense?
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
To see a part of my scheme, from which I had hoped so much, go wrong before my eyes is maddening!
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
So far as the right or wrong of having contraband whisky was concerned, I don't think any one gave it a second thought.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Strange to say, the silken cord yielded to the first pull, as if nothing had been wrong with it at all!
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
Of Liszt the first part of this is not true, for if he strikes a wrong note it is simply because he chooses to be careless.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

British Dictionary definitions for wrong

wrong

/ (rɒŋ) /

adjective

not correct or truthfulthe wrong answer

acting or judging in erroryou are wrong to think that

(postpositive) immoral; badit is wrong to cheat

deviating from or unacceptable to correct or conventional laws, usage, etc

not intended or wantedthe wrong road

(postpositive) not working properly; amisssomething is wrong with the engine

US (of a side, esp of a fabric) intended to face the inside so as not to be seen

get on the wrong side of or US get in wrong with informal to come into disfavour with

go down the wrong way (of food) to pass into the windpipe instead of the gullet

adverb

in the wrong direction or manner

go wrong

to turn out other than intended
to make a mistake
(of a machine, etc) to cease to function properly
to go astray morally

get wrong

to fail to understand properly
to fail to provide the correct answer to

noun

a bad, immoral, or unjust thing or action

law

an infringement of another person's rights, rendering the offender liable to a civil action, as for breach of contract or torta private wrong
a violation of public rights and duties, affecting the community as a whole and actionable at the instance of the Crowna public wrong

in the wrong mistaken or guilty

verb (tr)

to treat unjustly

to discredit, malign, or misrepresent

to seduce or violate

Derived forms of wrong

wronger, nounwrongly, adverbwrongness, noun

Word Origin for wrong

Old English wrang injustice, from Old Norse vrang; see wring

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with wrong

wrong

see back the wrong horse; bark up the wrong tree; do someone wrong; get someone wrong; get up on the wrong side of bed; go wrong; in the wrong; on the right (wrong) foot; on the right (wrong) tack; right (wrong) side of the tracks; rub the wrong way; take the wrong way; two wrongs do not make a right.

wrong

OTHER WORDS FOR wrong

Idioms about wrong

Origin of wrong

OTHER WORDS FROM wrong

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wrong

Words nearby wrong

Words related to wrong

How to use wrong in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wrong

Derived forms of wrong

Word Origin for wrong

Other Idioms and Phrases with wrong