wrought

American  

[rawt] / rɔt /

verb

1. Archaic except in some senses. a simple past tense and past participle of work.

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adjective

1. worked.

2. elaborated; embellished.

3. not rough or crude.

4. produced or shaped by beating with a hammer, as iron or silver articles.

wrought British  

/ rɔːt /

verb

1. archaic a past tense and past participle of work

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adjective

1. metallurgy shaped by hammering or beating

2. (often in combination) formed, fashioned, or worked as specified

   well-wrought

3. decorated or made with delicate care

Usage

Wrought is sometimes used as if it were the past tense and past participle of wreak as in the hurricane wrought havoc in coastal areas. Many people think this use is incorrect

Related Words

See worked.

Other Word Forms

• interwrought adjective
• self-wrought adjective
• superwrought adjective
• underwrought adjective
• unwrought adjective
• well-wrought adjective

Etymology

Origin of wrought

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English wroght, metathetic variant of worht, past participle of worchen “to work”; work

Explanation

Wrought is an adjective that means "molded, shaped, or manufactured." A wrought-iron fence has been shaped to fit a particular ornamental style. Wrought is most often used as an adjective to describe the shaping, altering, molding, and manufacturing of various metals. As a verb, wrought is the archaic past tense of the word work but is often confused as a past tense for the word wreak, which means "to cause damage." The confusion arises from the fact that the phrase "wrought havoc" is an acceptable variant of the phrase "wreaked havoc," but even here, wrought is etymologically rooted in the word work not wreak.

Example Sentences

She’s been on something of a tear on X recently, railing against the alleged societal destruction that women’s equality has wrought.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026

She wrought real reputational harms and wrecked the presumption of regularity to the point where judges are now just saying: I just assume you lie all the time.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

Add those headlines to the turmoil wrought by the Iran war, and Meta shares are down 19% this year to $537.23.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

The closing of the Pali Post, as community members affectionately called it, was a direct result of the destruction wrought by the January 2025 firestorm.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026

“Please, hon, don’t let yourself get all wrought up.”

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns