wrong Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun that which is contrary to the principles of justice or law
    wrongfulness.
    • he feels that you are in the wrong
  2. noun any harm or injury resulting from a violation of a legal right
    legal injury; damage.
  3. verb treat unjustly; do wrong to
  4. adjective not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
    incorrect.
    • 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
  5. adjective 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
  6. adjective satellite not appropriate for a purpose or occasion
    improper.
    • said all the wrong things
  7. adjective satellite not functioning properly
    amiss; haywire; awry.
    • something is amiss
    • has gone completely haywire
    • something is wrong with the engine
  8. adjective based on or acting or judging in error
    • it is wrong to think that way
  9. adjective satellite not in accord with established usage or procedure
    incorrect.
    • the wrong medicine
    • the wrong way to shuck clams
    • it is incorrect for a policeman to accept gifts
  10. adjective satellite used of the side of cloth or clothing intended to face inward
    • socks worn wrong side out
  11. adjective satellite badly timed
    unseasonable; untimely; ill-timed.
    • an ill-timed intervention
    • you think my intrusion unseasonable
    • an untimely remark
    • it was the wrong moment for a joke
  12. adjective satellite characterized by errors; not agreeing with a model or not following established rules; the wrong side of the road"
    incorrect; faulty.
    • he submitted a faulty report
    • an incorrect transcription
  13. adverb in an inaccurate manner
    wrongly; incorrectly.
    • he decided to reveal the details only after other sources had reported them incorrectly
    • she guessed wrong

WordNet

Wrong
Definitions
obs.
  1. imp. of Wring. Wrung. Chaucer.
Wrong adjective
Etymology
OE. wrong, wrang, a. & n., AS. wrang, n.; originally, awry, wrung, fr. wringan to wring; akin to D. wrang bitter, Dan. vrang wrong, Sw. vrång, Icel. rangr awry, wrong. See Wring.
Definitions
  1. Twisted; wry; as, a wrong nose. Obs. Wyclif (Lev. xxi. 19).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
    I have deceived you both; I have directed you to wrong places. Shak.
  4. Not according to truth; not conforming to fact or intent; not right; mistaken; erroneous; as, a wrong statement.
  5. Designed to be worn or placed inward; as, the wrong side of a garment or of a piece of cloth. Syn. -- Injurious; unjust; faulty; detrimental; incorrect; erroneous; unfit; unsuitable.
Wrong adverb
Definitions
  1. In a wrong manner; not rightly; amiss; morally ill; erroneously; wrongly.
    Ten censure wrong for one that writes amiss. Pope.
Wrong noun
Etymology
AS. wrang. See Wrong, a.
Definitions
  1. That which is not right. Specifically: (a) Nonconformity or disobedience to lawful authority, divine or human; deviation from duty; -- the opposite of moral right.
    When I had wrong and she the right. Chaucer.
    One spake much of right and wrong. Milton.
    (b) Deviation or departure from truth or fact; state of falsity; error; as, to be in the wrong. (c) 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.
    Friend, I do thee no wrong. Matt. xx. 18.
    As the king of England can do no wrong, so neither can he do right but in his courts and by his courts. Milton.
    The obligation to redress a wrong is at least as binding as that of paying a debt. E. Evereth.
    ✍ Wrongs, legally, are private or public. Private wrongs are civil injuries, immediately affecting individuals; public wrongs are crimes and misdemeanors which affect the community. Blackstone.
Wrong transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Wronged ; present participle & verbal noun Wronging
Definitions
  1. 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.
    He that sinneth . . . wrongeth his own soul. Prov. viii. 36.
  2. To impute evil to unjustly; as, if you suppose me capable of a base act, you wrong me.
    I rather choose To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, Than I will wrong such honorable men. Shak.

Webster 1913