wrongful
Americanadjective
-
unjust or unfair.
a wrongful act; a wrongful charge.
-
having no legal right; unlawful.
The court ruled it was a wrongful diversion of trust income.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wrongful
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at wrong, -ful
Explanation
If something's not fair, or especially if it's illegal, you can call it wrongful. If a company violates an employee's contract and fires her, that would be a wrongful termination. This adjective is mainly used in a legal context. Being arrested when there's no evidence is a wrongful arrest, and if you're found guilty of a crime you didn't commit, that would be a wrongful conviction. We've used this word since the 14th century to mean "not fair" or "unjust." It derives from an Old English word meaning "crooked or twisted."
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.
The court was told Weston accepted her "conduct was wrongful" and acknowledged the "very significant distress and suffering" caused to Davies.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
"There is no such thing as so-called wrongful detention," the ministry's spokesman Lin Jian said.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
A Foreign Ministry spokesman, when asked about Chen during a Tuesday media briefing in Beijing, said the country is governed by laws and rejected allegations of wrongful detention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
This is how disparate-impact analysis should work as well, the OLC says, as a tool to find wrongful intent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
He returned to logging work while we made plans to file a civil lawsuit against everyone involved in his wrongful prosecution and conviction.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
