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Synonyms

wrong-headed

British  

adjective

  1. constantly wrong in judgment

  2. foolishly stubborn; obstinate

"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 Word Forms

  • wrong-headedly adverb
  • wrong-headedness noun

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For those ages 55 to 69, the panel recommended doctors “not screen men who do not express a preference for screening” on the wrong-headed rationale it could lead to “overdiagnosis and overtreatment.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

Some argue that introducing a pet during the stressful holiday season is wrong-headed.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2023

To Goff, focusing on the fish’s behavior is not only wrong-headed but “horrific” because it leaves out what’s actually most important—what the fish actually feels.

From Scientific American • Sep. 25, 2023

It prevents money being wasted on hopelessly wrong-headed research.

From Salon • Aug. 20, 2022

“Is that proper, do you think? Wouldn’t that make this into some kind of topsy-turvy, wrong-headed world if a king played music for a bug?”

From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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