wrong

[ rawng, rong ]
See synonyms for: wrongwrongedwrongestwrongs on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

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

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

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

  5. (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.

  1. Law.

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

    • 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 about wrong

  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,

    • to go amiss; fail: Everything is going wrong today.

    • to pursue an immoral course; become depraved: Bad friends caused him to go wrong.

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

Origin of wrong

1
First recorded before 1100; (adjective) Middle English wrong, wrang, Old English wrang, perhaps from Old Danish wrang; compare Danish vrang “wrong,” Old Norse rangr “awry”; (verb and adverb) Middle English, derivative of the adjective; (noun) Middle English; Old English wrang, derivative of adjective; akin to wring

Other words for wrong

Other words from wrong

  • wronger, noun
  • wrongly, adverb
  • wrongness, noun
  • quasi-wrong, adjective

Words that may be confused with wrong

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use wrong in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wrong

wrong

/ (rɒŋ) /


adjective
  1. not correct or truthful: the wrong answer

  2. acting or judging in error: you are wrong to think that

  1. (postpositive) immoral; bad: it is wrong to cheat

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

  3. not intended or wanted: the wrong road

  4. (postpositive) not working properly; amiss: something is wrong with the engine

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

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

  7. 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

    • to turn out other than intended

    • to make a mistake

    • (of a machine, etc) to cease to function properly

    • to go astray morally

  1. get wrong

    • to fail to understand properly

    • to fail to provide the correct answer to

noun
  1. a bad, immoral, or unjust thing or action

  2. law

    • an infringement of another person's rights, rendering the offender liable to a civil action, as for breach of contract or tort: a private wrong

    • a violation of public rights and duties, affecting the community as a whole and actionable at the instance of the Crown: a public wrong

  1. in the wrong mistaken or guilty

verb(tr)
  1. to treat unjustly

  2. to discredit, malign, or misrepresent

  1. to seduce or violate

Origin of wrong

1
Old English wrang injustice, from Old Norse vrang; see wring

Derived forms of wrong

  • wronger, noun
  • wrongly, adverb
  • wrongness, noun

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.

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