What does wrong mean?

Definitions for wrong
rɔŋ, rɒŋwrong

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word wrong.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. wrong, wrongfulnessnoun

    that which is contrary to the principles of justice or law

    "he feels that you are in the wrong"

  2. wrong, legal injury, damageadjective

    any harm or injury resulting from a violation of a legal right

  3. incorrect, wrongadjective

    not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth

    "an incorrect calculation"; "the report in the paper is wrong"; "your information is wrong"; "the clock showed the wrong time"; "found themselves on the wrong road"; "based on the wrong assumptions"

  4. wrongadjective

    contrary to conscience or morality or law

    "it is wrong for the rich to take advantage of the poor"; "cheating is wrong"; "it is wrong to lie"

  5. improper, wrongadjective

    not appropriate for a purpose or occasion

    "said all the wrong things"

  6. amiss(p), awry(p), haywire, wrong(p)adjective

    not functioning properly

    "something is amiss"; "has gone completely haywire"; "something is wrong with the engine"

  7. wrongadjective

    based on or acting or judging in error

    "it is wrong to think that way"

  8. wrong, incorrectadjective

    not in accord with established usage or procedure

    "the wrong medicine"; "the wrong way to shuck clams"; "it is incorrect for a policeman to accept gifts"

  9. wrongadjective

    used of the side of cloth or clothing intended to face inward

    "socks worn wrong side out"

  10. ill-timed, unseasonable, untimely, wrongadjective

    badly timed

    "an ill-timed intervention"; "you think my intrusion unseasonable"; "an untimely remark"; "it was the wrong moment for a joke"

  11. faulty, incorrect, wrongverb

    characterized by errors; not agreeing with a model or not following established rules

    "he submitted a faulty report"; "an incorrect transcription"; the wrong side of the road"

  12. wrongadverb

    treat unjustly; do wrong to

  13. incorrectly, wrongly, wrongadverb

    in an inaccurate manner

    "he decided to reveal the details only after other sources had reported them incorrectly"; "she guessed wrong"

Wiktionary

  1. wrongnoun

    Something that is immoral or not good.

    Injustice is a heinous wrong.

  2. wrongnoun

    An instance of wronging someone (sometimes with possessive to indicate the victim).

    Can she excuse my wrongs with Virtue's cloak? Shall I call her good when she proves unkind? --John Dowland

  3. wrongnoun

    The incorrect or unjust position or opinion.

  4. wrongnoun

    The opposite of right; the concept of badness.

  5. wrongverb

    To treat unjustly; to injure or harm.

  6. wrongverb

    To deprive of some right, or to withhold some act of justice.

  7. wrongverb

    To slander; to impute evil to unjustly.

  8. wrongadverb

    In a way that isn't right; done incorrectly; wrongly.

    I spelled several names wrong in my address book.

  9. wrongadjective

    Incorrect or untrue.

    Some of your answers were correct, and some were wrong.

  10. wrongadjective

    Asserting something incorrect or untrue.

    You're wrong: he's not Superman at all.

  11. wrongadjective

    Immoral, not good, bad.

    It is wrong to lie.

  12. wrongadjective

    Improper; unfit; unsuitable.

    A bikini is the wrong thing to wear on a cold day.

  13. wrongadjective

    Not working; out of order.

    Something is wrong with my cellphone.

  14. wrongadjective

    Designed to be worn or placed inward; as, the wrong side of a garment or of a piece of cloth

  15. Etymology: From wrong, from wrang, of origin, from rangr, *, from wrangaz, from werḱ-, from. Cognate with wrang, vrang, vrång, rangur, wrang and the name of the mythic city of Rungholt. More at wring.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Wrongadjective

    Etymology: from the noun.

    I find you are an invincible Amazon, since you will overcome, though in a wrong matter. Philip Sidney.

    We never think of the main business of life, ’till a vain repentance minds us of it at the wrong end. Roger L'Estrange.

    When the dictates of honour are contrary to those of religion and equity, they give wrong, ambitious, and false ideas of what is good and laudable. Joseph Addison, Spectator.

    Of Glo’ster’s treachery,
    And of the loyal service of his son,
    When I inform’d him, then he call’d me sot,
    And told me I had turn’d the wrong side out. William Shakespeare, K. Lear.

    Dividing a living of five hundred pounds a year into ten parts, is a contrivance, the meaning whereof hath got on the wrong side of my comprehension. Jonathan Swift.

    Singularity shews something wrong in the mind. Clarissa.

  2. Wrongadverb

    Not rightly; amiss.

    If he go wrong, she will give him over to his own ruin. Eccl.

    A thousand odd capricio’s, men’s minds are acted by, may make one man quote another man’s words wrong. John Locke.

    Ten censure wrong, for one that writes amiss. Alexander Pope.

  3. WRONGnoun

    Etymology: wrange , Saxon.

    It is a harm, and no wrong which he hath received. Philip Sidney.

    She resolved to spend all her years, which her youth promised should be many, in bewailing the wrong, and yet praying for the wrongdoer. Philip Sidney.

    If he may not command them, then that law doth wrong that bindeth him to bring them forth to be justified. Edmund Spenser.

    They ever do pretend
    To have receiv’d a wrong, who wrong intend. Daniel.

    Imitation of an author is the most advantageous way for a translator to shew himself, but the greatest wrong which can be done to the reputation of the dead. Dryden.

    Cowley preferred a garden and a friend, to those whom in our own wrong we call the great. Dryden.

    Expecting more in my own wrong,
    Protracting life, I’ve liv’d a day too long. Dryden.

    Be not blindly guided by the throng,
    The multitude is always in the wrong. Wentworth Dillon.

    One spake much of right and wrong. John Milton.

    Proceed: quoth Dick, sir, I aver
    You have already gone too far;
    When people once are in the wrong,
    Each line they add is much too long:
    Who fastest walks, but walks astray,
    Is only farthest from his way. Matthew Prior.

    In the judgment of right and wrong, every man has a self. Isaac Watts, Logick.

  4. To Wrongverb

    To injure; to use unjustly.

    Etymology: from the noun.

    So worthy a part of divine service we should greatly wrong, if we did not esteem preaching as the blessed ordinance of God. Richard Hooker.

    For fear the stones her tender foot should wrong,
    Be strewed with fragrant flowers all along. Edmund Spenser.

    Judge me, you gods! wrong I mine enemy? William Shakespeare.

    Thank him who puts me loath to this revenge
    On you, who wrong me not, for him who wrong’d. John Milton.

    Once more farewel!
    And know thou wrong’st me, if thou think’st
    Ever was love or ever grief like mine. Addison.

Wikipedia

  1. wrong

    A wrong (from Old English wrang – 'crooked') is an act that is illegal or immoral. Legal wrongs are usually quite clearly defined in the law of a state and/or jurisdiction. They can be divided into civil wrongs and crimes (or criminal offenses) in common law countries, while civil law countries tend to have some additional categories, such as contraventions. Moral wrong is an underlying concept for legal wrong. Some moral wrongs are punishable by law, for example, rape or murder. Other moral wrongs have nothing to do with law, but are related to unethical behaviours. On the other hand, some legal wrongs, such as many types of parking offences, could hardly be classified as moral wrongs.

ChatGPT

  1. wrong

    Wrong refers to something that is not in accordance with what is morally or ethically right, or that deviates from the correct or accurate way of doing or understanding something. It can also refer to actions, decisions, or beliefs that are mistaken, unjust, or flawed.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Wrong

    imp. of Wring. Wrung

  2. Wrongadjective

    twisted; wry; as, a wrong nose

  3. Wrongadjective

    not according to the laws of good morals, whether divine or human; not suitable to the highest and best end; not morally right; deviating from rectitude or duty; not just or equitable; not true; not legal; as, a wrong practice; wrong ideas; wrong inclinations and desires

  4. Wrongadjective

    not fit or suitable to an end or object; not appropriate for an intended use; not according to rule; unsuitable; improper; incorrect; as, to hold a book with the wrong end uppermost; to take the wrong way

  5. Wrongadjective

    not according to truth; not conforming to fact or intent; not right; mistaken; erroneous; as, a wrong statement

  6. Wrongadjective

    designed to be worn or placed inward; as, the wrong side of a garment or of a piece of cloth

  7. Wrongadverb

    in a wrong manner; not rightly; amiss; morally ill; erroneously; wrongly

  8. Wrongadjective

    that which is not right

  9. Wrongadjective

    nonconformity or disobedience to lawful authority, divine or human; deviation from duty; -- the opposite of moral right

  10. Wrongadjective

    deviation or departure from truth or fact; state of falsity; error; as, to be in the wrong

  11. Wrongadjective

    whatever deviates from moral rectitude; usually, an act that involves evil consequences, as one which inflicts injury on a person; any injury done to, or received from; another; a trespass; a violation of right

  12. Wrongverb

    to treat with injustice; to deprive of some right, or to withhold some act of justice from; to do undeserved harm to; to deal unjustly with; to injure

  13. Wrongverb

    to impute evil to unjustly; as, if you suppose me capable of a base act, you wrong me

  14. Etymology: [AS. wrang. See Wrong, a.]

Wikidata

  1. Wrong

    A wrong is a concept in law, ethics and epistemology. In a colloquial sense, wrongness usually refers to a state of incorrectness, inaccuracy, error, or miscalculation in any number of contexts.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Wrong

    rong, adj. not according to rule or right, deviating from what is correct or suitable: perverse: not fit or suitable: incorrect: not right or true.—n. whatever is not right or just: any injury done to another: an erroneous view.—adv. not rightly.—v.t. to do wrong to: to deprive of some right: to injure.—ns. Wrong′-do′er, one who does wrong: one who injures another; Wrong′-do′ing, evil or wicked action or conduct; Wrong′er, one who wrongs.—adj. Wrong′ful, wrong: unjust: injurious.—adv. Wrong′fully.—n. Wrong′fulness.—adj. Wrong′-head′ed, obstinately and perversely stubborn.—adv. Wrong′-head′edly.—n. Wrong′-head′edness.—adv. Wrong′ly, in a wrong manner.—adj. Wrong′-mind′ed, having erroneous views.—n. Wrong′ness.—adj. Wrong′ous, unjust, illegal.—adv. Wrong′ously.—adj. Wrong′-timed, inopportune.—Go wrong, to fail to work properly: to stray from virtue; Have wrong, to be wrong: to suffer injustice; In the wrong, holding an erroneous view or unjust position; Private wrong, a violation of the civil or personal rights of an individual in his private capacity; Put in the wrong, to cause to appear in error. [A.S. wrang, a wrong; most prob. Scand., Ice. rangr, unjust, Dan. vrang, wrong. Skeat explains A.S. wrang as from wrang, pa.t. of wringan, to wring, like Fr. tort, from L. tortus, twisted.]

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. wrong

    To guard against injustice and oppression in the army, the Articles of War (see Appendix, Articles of War) clearly point out the mode of redress to every individual in the service, who considers himself wronged by his superiors.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'wrong' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #766

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'wrong' in Written Corpus Frequency: #356

  3. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'wrong' in Adjectives Frequency: #76

How to pronounce wrong?

How to say wrong in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of wrong in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of wrong in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of wrong in a Sentence

  1. Kirstjen Nielsen:

    Don't get me wrong, terrorists and criminals still pose a serious threat to our lives, and they are plotting against Americans daily. However, the' attack surface' in cyberspace is now broader and under more frequent assault.

  2. Samuel Johnson:

    That fellow seems to posses but one idea and that is the wrong one.

  3. Zoe Gardner:

    They've learned all the wrong lessons from 2015, where cutting a deal with Turkey backfired dramatically when Turkish President Recep Tayyip decided it was politically convenient to use these people as weapons, letting them head for Greece.

  4. Anthony Fauci:

    From a public health standpoint, we felt strongly that it would have been the wrong decision to pull back.

  5. Dhwani Dalal:

    The idea that we needed to be in the office ten hours a day, five days a week in order to be productive — that's been proven wrong real quick, i think some industries were headed there anyway but this pandemic accelerated by a decade at least.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

wrong#1#1673#10000

Translations for wrong

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • خَطَأArabic
  • яңылышBashkir
  • няправільныBelarusian
  • грешенBulgarian
  • nesprávný, špatný, chybný, špatně, křivditCzech
  • forkertDanish
  • unrecht, verkehrt, ungerecht, schlecht, falsch, unfairGerman
  • ακατάλληλος, λάθος, πλανώμαι, εσφαλμένος, στραβός, απατώμαι, κάνω λάθος, ανάποδος, λανθασμένος, στραβά, αδίκημα, αδικώ, κακό, κρίμα, βλάπτωGreek
  • malĝustaEsperanto
  • incorrecto, falso, equivocado, malo, crimenSpanish
  • غلطPersian
  • väärä, sopimaton, huono, vika, nurja, tehdä vääryyttä, vääryys, tehdä väärin, väärin, väärinteko, virheFinnish
  • impropre, immoral, mauvais, mal, tort, faux, incorrect, crime, nuire, léserFrench
  • ceàrr, eucoir, coireScottish Gaelic
  • לא נכוןHebrew
  • अशुद्ध, ग़लत, गलतHindi
  • rosszHungarian
  • վատ, սխալArmenian
  • illicite, improprie, immoral, erronee, a torto, mal, incorrecte, erroneemente, incorrectementeInterlingua
  • keliru, salahIndonesian
  • vera að, ósiðlegur, ósiðsamur, rangur, hafa á röngu að standa, óréttur, siðferðilega rangur, ranglátur, hafa rangt fyrir sér, kolvitlaust, beita ranglæti, rangt, gera rangt til, vitlaustIcelandic
  • erroneo, sbagliato, scorretto, errato, tortoItalian
  • よくない, 具合が悪くて, 悪い, 故障で, 不適当な, 不適切な, 調子が狂って, 違う, 間違う, 誤る, 間違いましたJapanese
  • ತಪ್ಪುKannada
  • 잘못된Korean
  • malumLatin
  • neprideramas, nedorovingas, amoralus, nesąžiningas, nepadorus, nedoras, nemoralus, blogas, sugedęs, neteisingas, nedirbantis, neveikiantis, netinkamas, nekorektiškas, klaidingasLithuanian
  • fout, verkeerd, mis, slecht, onjuist, onrecht doen, aandoen, misstand, wantoestand, foutief, kwaad, onbillijk beoordelen, onrechtmatige daad, verkeerde, benadelen, onrechtDutch
  • gal, uriktig, feil, galt, vrangNorwegian
  • niewłaściwy, mylny, błędny, źlePolish
  • impróprio, inadequado, errado, imoral, equivocado, incorreto, avesso, injustiçar, incorretamente, injúria, erroneamente, maltratar, erradamente, mal, erroPortuguese
  • incorect, greșitRomanian
  • неправый, неверный, ошибочный, неправильный, неправильно, не такRussian
  • त्रुटिपूर्णSanskrit
  • kriv, pogrješan, neispravanSerbo-Croatian
  • narobeSlovene
  • fel, inkorrekt, felaktigSwedish
  • సరికాని, తప్పు, తప్పుడుTelugu
  • ผิดThai
  • yanlış, yersiz, uygunsuz, hatalı, bozuk, ahlaksız, kötüTurkish
  • неправильнийUkrainian
  • غلطUrdu
  • không tốt, không đúng, xấu, saiVietnamese
  • neverätikVolapük
  • פאַלשYiddish

Get even more translations for wrong »

Translation

Find a translation for the wrong definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"wrong." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/wrong>.

Discuss these wrong definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for wrong? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea
    A couvade
    B epiphora
    C larceny
    D exponent

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for wrong: