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definitions

wrong

[rawng, rong]
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adjective
  1. not in accordance with what is morally right or good: a wrong deed.
  2. deviating from truth or fact; erroneous: a wrong answer.
  3. not correct in action, judgment, opinion, method, etc., as a person; in error: You are wrong to blame him.
  4. not proper or usual; not in accordance with requirements or recommended practice: the wrong way to hold a golf club.
  5. out of order; awry; amiss: Something is wrong with the machine.
  6. not suitable or appropriate: He always says the wrong thing.
  7. (of clothing) that should be worn or kept inward or under: You're wearing the sweater wrong side out.
noun
  1. that which is wrong, or not in accordance with morality, goodness, or truth; evil: I committed many wrongs.
  2. an injustice: The wrongs they suffered aged them.
  3. Law.
    1. an invasion of another's right, to his damage.
    2. a tort.
adverb
  1. in a wrong manner; not rightly; awry; amiss: You did it wrong again.
verb (used with object)
  1. to do wrong to; treat unfairly or unjustly; harm.
  2. to impute evil to (someone) unjustly; malign.
Idioms
  1. get in wrong, Slang. to cause to come into disfavor: We are forever getting in wrong with the people next door.
  2. go wrong,
    1. to go amiss; fail: Everything is going wrong today.
    2. to pursue an immoral course; become depraved: Bad friends caused him to go wrong.
  3. 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
Related formswrong·er, nounwrong·ly, adverbwrong·ness, nounqua·si-wrong, adjective
Can be confusedwrong wrongful

Synonyms for wrong

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1. bad, evil, wicked, sinful, immoral, iniquitous, reprehensible, crooked. 2. inaccurate, incorrect, false, untrue, mistaken. 6. improper, unsuitable. 8. misdoing, wickedness, sin, vice. 12. maltreat, abuse, oppress, cheat, defraud, dishonor.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for wrong

untrue, inaccurate, mistaken, unsound, bad, erroneous, awry, amiss, misguided, false, reprehensible, illegal, unlawful, unfair, sinful, unjust, unethical, incorrect, funny, unacceptable

Examples from the Web for wrong

Contemporary Examples of wrong

Historical Examples of wrong

British Dictionary definitions for wrong

wrong

adjective
  1. not correct or truthfulthe wrong answer
  2. acting or judging in erroryou are wrong to think that
  3. (postpositive) immoral; badit is wrong to cheat
  4. deviating from or unacceptable to correct or conventional laws, usage, etc
  5. not intended or wantedthe wrong road
  6. (postpositive) not working properly; amisssomething is wrong with the engine
  7. US (of a side, esp of a fabric) intended to face the inside so as not to be seen
  8. get on the wrong side of or US get in wrong with informal to come into disfavour with
  9. go down the wrong way (of food) to pass into the windpipe instead of the gullet
adverb
  1. in the wrong direction or manner
  2. go wrong
    1. to turn out other than intended
    2. to make a mistake
    3. (of a machine, etc) to cease to function properly
    4. to go astray morally
  3. get wrong
    1. to fail to understand properly
    2. to fail to provide the correct answer to
noun
  1. a bad, immoral, or unjust thing or action
  2. law
    1. an infringement of another person's rights, rendering the offender liable to a civil action, as for breach of contract or torta private wrong
    2. a violation of public rights and duties, affecting the community as a whole and actionable at the instance of the Crowna public wrong
  3. in the wrong mistaken or guilty
verb (tr)
  1. to treat unjustly
  2. to discredit, malign, or misrepresent
  3. to seduce or violate
Derived Formswronger, 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
Word Origin and History for wrong
adj.

late Old English, "twisted, crooked, wry," from Old Norse rangr, earlier *wrangr "crooked, wry, wrong," from Proto-Germanic *wrangaz (cf. Danish vrang "crooked, wrong," Middle Dutch wranc, Dutch wrang "sour, bitter," literally "that which distorts the mouth"), from PIE *wrengh- "to turn" (see wring).

Sense of "not right, bad, immoral, unjust" developed by c.1300. Wrong thus is etymologically a negative of right (from Latin rectus, literally "straight"). Latin pravus was literally "crooked," but most commonly "wrong, bad;" and other words for "crooked" also have meant "wrong" in Italian and Slavic. Cf. also French tort "wrong, injustice," from Latin tortus "twisted." Wrong-headed first recorded 1732. To get up on the wrong side (of the bed) "be in a bad mood" is recorded from 1801.

n.

"that which is improper or unjust," c.1100, from wrong (adj.). Meaning "an unjust action" is recorded from c.1200.

v.

"to do wrong to," early 14c., from wrong (adj.). Related: Wronged; wronging.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.