wrongful

[rawng-fuhl, rong-]

adjective

1. unjust or unfair.

   a wrongful act; a wrongful charge.

2. having no legal right; unlawful.

   The court ruled it was a wrongful diversion of trust income.

wrongful

/ ˈrɒŋfʊl /

adjective

1. immoral, unjust, or illegal

Other Word Forms

• wrongfully adverb
• wrongfulness noun
• unwrongful adjective
• unwrongfully adverb
• unwrongfulness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wrongful¹

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; wrong, -ful

Example Sentences

Ms Garcia, who lives in the United States, was the first parent to sue Character.ai for what she believes is the wrongful death of her son.

Read more on BBC

Family members of 155 victims filed lawsuits between April 2019 and March 2021, alleging wrongful death and negligence, among other claims.

Read more on Barron's

But Baldoni and his production company "have not adequately alleged that Lively's threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions", Judge Liman wrote at that time.

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Anglo American has initiated an arbitration process and is seeking damages for wrongful termination.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Baldwin’s wrongful prosecution suit was first filed in New Mexico court in Santa Fe.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• illegitimate 
• illicit 
• improper 
• reprehensible 
• unethical 
• unfair 
• unjust 
• unlawful