: not satisfactory (as in condition, results, health, or temper)
5
: not in accordance with one's needs, intent, or expectations
took the wrong bus
6
: of, relating to, or constituting the side of something that is usually held to be opposite to the principal one, that is the one naturally or by design turned down, inward, or away, or that is the least finished or polished
wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves.
a penal system that had wronged him
oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform.
a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant
persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering.
a child persecuted by constant criticism
aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights.
a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups
Example Sentences
Noun any reasonable person should be expected to know the difference between right and wrong trying to right all the wrongs in the world Adjective I don't want you to get the wrong impression of him. Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you should start exercising. Are my actions sending the wrong message? These pages are in the wrong order. I got four answers wrong on the test. You're wrong; the answer is six. You like baseball, or am I wrong? Am I wrong in thinking that she should never have gone? I think her birthday is May 11th, but I could be wrong. He thinks I can't win, but I'm going to prove him wrong. Adverb I entered the numbers wrong. Her name was spelled wrong on the form. I can't get this to work; could you show me what I did wrong? Verb We should forgive those who have wronged us. As the wronged party, you have the right to sue for damages. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The late and incomparable David Bowie can do no wrong, including being a goblin king with impeccable hair in the musical fantasy Labyrinth. Adrianna Freedman, Men's Health, 30 Aug. 2022 Investors will need to be right, and the Fed wrong, about what the Fed will do next year. James Mackintosh, WSJ, 31 July 2022 The event marked the final step in a complex effort to address the long-ago wrong suffered by Charles and Willa Bruce, entrepreneurs whose resort on the shore of the now-upscale city of Manhattan Beach was known as Bruce's Beach.CBS News, 20 July 2022 Mercifully, Apple has ordered a second season of the family saga, so the Emmys might have another chance to right their wrong. Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 13 July 2022 Such weather is totally right — or wrong — for producing potholes. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 3 May 2022 Steph thinks there's something bigger behind the scenes that viewers can't see because Katina is a smart woman and wouldn't stay with a man who treats her wrong. Aj Vomoeller And Stephanie Sersen, PEOPLE.com, 16 Mar. 2022 Last fall, Martinich successfully predicted two temples (Monrovia, Liberia, and La Paz, Bolivia) and got the country or state right (but the city wrong) in three others. David Noyce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 Mar. 2022 In a moment that would endear her to fans for decades, the character steps out of the boxes that define her and leaps onto the dance floor (after a few missteps), quite literally proving the haters around her wrong.Washington Post, 2 Jan. 2022
Adjective
The right is, of course, wrong to fantasize that the climate crisis is ushering in a totalitarian state in which Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes away your hamburgers. Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 13 Sep. 2022 Maybe the data in the studies are wrong—participants didn’t record their hours of near work accurately. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2022 And that was wrong, because great film is for everyone. Manori Ravindran, Variety, 12 Sep. 2022 Wrong is wrong, no matter what your race, color or creed. Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2022 If the citizen is wrong and the doctor wins the lawsuit, the doctor still has to pay their own legal fees, as Texas law specifically forbids doctors from recouping fees from plaintiffs. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, 9 Sep. 2022 The officer writes that in the break between the third and fourth sets, he is approached by a fan who inquires about his presence near the Duke bench and asks if anything is wrong. Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 Like many other frequent travelers, he's exhausted from having to explain why the surcharges are wrong, at least from a customer service point of view. Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2022 Both are wrong, in my view; the lower estimate doesn’t realistically cover maintenance costs, while the higher one attempts to account for fueling in terms of extra calories for the rider. Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 8 Sep. 2022
Adverb
But experts say this is where many companies go wrong in their recruiting strategy. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 13 Sep. 2022 Billed as a comedy, Abbott Elementary is a good-spirited look into a rather grim reality for teachers where everything that can go wrong typically does. Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 13 Sep. 2022 The policy could put incarcerated pregnant women at greater risk of facing far more serious charges if something does go wrong medically.al, 7 Sep. 2022 Flooding is just one of the most common things that can go wrong in a home. Kristen Rogers, CNN, 25 Aug. 2022 The 404’s recent Instagram posts include a puppet newscaster describing the new climate bill, a microplastics meme and a puppet newscaster explaining what’s going wrong on the Colorado River. Sammy Rothstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2022 Every organization should design a digital sandbox, where employees can test NC/LC tools without the risk of anything going wrong—as IBM has done—and monitor them to ensure that employees feel confident about experimenting with A.I. Gabriel Nahas, Fortune, 3 June 2022 Who’s paying attention to what’s going wrong at the time. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 12 Apr. 2022 Coming off a disastrous, 110-loss season, the Diamondbacks are going to need a great many things to go right in order to find themselves back in contention this year — and already something very important is showing signs of going wrong. Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 14 Mar. 2022
Verb
Plus seriously difficult story to tell without aggrandizement which would b wrong! Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2022 Plus seriously difficult story to tell without aggrandizement which would b wrong! Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2022 Plus seriously difficult story to tell without aggrandizement which would b wrong! Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2022 Plus seriously difficult story to tell without aggrandizement which would b wrong! Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2022 Plus seriously difficult story to tell without aggrandizement which would b wrong! Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022 Based within The Conjuring universe, Annabelle is a vintage porcelain doll cursed by a demonic spirit, causing hauntings and violent ends to those that would wrong her. Sophie Hanson, Harper's BAZAAR, 4 Aug. 2022 Plus: One Quick Buck takes a look at an early 90s top draft choice, and Jim wants to wrong some rights in What's Making Jim Mad. Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2021 People can wrong us in ways that arise from our vulnerability to them. Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old English wrang, from *wrang, adjective, wrong
Adjective
Middle English, from Old English *wrang, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse rangr awry, wrong, Danish vrang wrong side; akin to Old English wringan to wring
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a