| English Dictionary |
WRONG
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does wrong mean?
• WRONG (noun)
The noun WRONG has 2 senses:
1. that which is contrary to the principles of justice or law
2. any harm or injury resulting from a violation of a legal right
Familiarity information: WRONG used as a noun is rare.
• WRONG (adjective)
The adjective WRONG has 9 senses:
1. not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
2. contrary to conscience or morality or law
3. not appropriate for a purpose or occasion
4. not functioning properly
5. based on or acting or judging in error
6. not in accord with established usage or procedure
7. used of the side of cloth or clothing intended to face inward
8. badly timed
9. characterized by errors; not agreeing with a model or not following established rules
Familiarity information: WRONG used as an adjective is familiar.
• WRONG (verb)
The verb WRONG has 1 sense:
1. treat unjustly; do wrong to
Familiarity information: WRONG used as a verb is very rare.
• WRONG (adverb)
The adverb WRONG has 1 sense:
1. in an inaccurate manner
Familiarity information: WRONG used as an adverb is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
That which is contrary to the principles of justice or law
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Synonyms:
wrong; wrongfulness
Context example:
he feels that you are in the wrong
Hypernyms ("wrong" is a kind of...):
injustice; unjustness (the practice of being unjust or unfair)
Antonym:
right (anything in accord with principles of justice)
Derivation:
wrong (treat unjustly; do wrong to)
wrong (contrary to conscience or morality or law)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Any harm or injury resulting from a violation of a legal right
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
damage; legal injury; wrong
Hypernyms ("wrong" is a kind of...):
injury (wrongdoing that violates another's rights and is unjustly inflicted)
Derivation:
wrong (contrary to conscience or morality or law)
wrong (treat unjustly; do wrong to)
| Declension: comparative and superlative |
Superlative: worst
Sense 1
Meaning:
Not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
Synonyms:
incorrect; wrong
Context example:
based on the wrong assumptions
Similar:
erroneous (containing or characterized by error)
fallacious (based on an incorrect or misleading notion or information)
false; mistaken (arising from error)
Also:
inaccurate (not accurate)
improper (not suitable or right or appropriate)
false (not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality)
Attribute:
correctness; rightness (conformity to fact or truth)
Antonym:
right (free from error; especially conforming to fact or truth)
Derivation:
wrongness (the quality of not conforming to fact or truth)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Contrary to conscience or morality or law
Context example:
it is wrong to lie
Similar:
condemnable; criminal; deplorable; reprehensible; vicious (bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure)
base; immoral (not adhering to ethical or moral principles)
misguided; mistaken (wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment)
Also:
unethical (not conforming to approved standards of social or professional behavior)
evil (morally bad or wrong)
unjust (violating principles of justice)
immoral (deliberately violating accepted principles of right and wrong)
improper (not suitable or right or appropriate)
wicked (morally bad in principle or practice)
Attribute:
rightness (according with conscience or morality)
Antonym:
right (in conformance with justice or law or morality)
Derivation:
wrong (any harm or injury resulting from a violation of a legal right)
wrong (that which is contrary to the principles of justice or law)
wrongness (contrary to conscience or morality)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Not appropriate for a purpose or occasion
Synonyms:
improper; wrong
Context example:
said all the wrong things
Similar:
inappropriate (not suitable for a particular occasion etc)
Derivation:
wrongness (inappropriate conduct)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Not functioning properly
Synonyms:
Context example:
something is wrong with the engine
Similar:
malfunctioning; nonfunctional (not performing or able to perform its regular function)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Based on or acting or judging in error
Context example:
it is wrong to think that way
Similar:
wrongheaded (obstinately perverse in judgment or opinion)
Antonym:
right (correct in opinion or judgment)
Derivation:
wrongness (the quality of not conforming to fact or truth)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Not in accord with established usage or procedure
Synonyms:
incorrect; wrong
Context example:
it is incorrect for a policeman to accept gifts
Similar:
improper (not suitable or right or appropriate)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Used of the side of cloth or clothing intended to face inward
Context example:
socks worn wrong side out
Similar:
inside (relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Badly timed
Synonyms:
ill-timed; unseasonable; untimely; wrong
Context example:
it was the wrong moment for a joke
Similar:
inopportune (not opportune)
Sense 9
Meaning:
Characterized by errors; not agreeing with a model or not following established rules
Synonyms:
Context example:
the wrong side of the road
Similar:
inaccurate (not accurate)
| Conjugation: |
... he / she / it wrongs Past simple: wronged
Past participle: wronged
-ing form: wronging
Sense 1
Meaning:
Treat unjustly; do wrong to
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Hypernyms (to "wrong" is one way to...):
do by; handle; treat (interact in a certain way)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "wrong"):
aggrieve (infringe on the rights of)
sandbag (treat harshly or unfairly)
victimise; victimize (make a victim of)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
Antonym:
right (make reparations or amends for)
Derivation:
wrong (any harm or injury resulting from a violation of a legal right)
wrong (that which is contrary to the principles of justice or law)
Sense 1
Meaning:
In an inaccurate manner
Synonyms:
incorrectly; wrong; wrongly
Context example:
she guessed wrong
Context examples
Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) History; are your symptoms worse at night?
(MNSI - Symptoms Worse at Night, NCI Thesaurus)
A question about an individual's mouth or throat sores at its worst.
(Mouth or Throat Sores at its Worst, NCI Thesaurus)
Doubtless it was so, and she could take no revenge, for he was not altered, or not for the worse.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) What kinds of things make your pain feel worse?
(BPI - Things that Make your Pain Worse, NCI Thesaurus)
A question about an individual's mucus in mouth or throat at its worst.
(Mucus in Mouth and Throat at its Worst, NCI Thesaurus)
You are too good, I am sure, to think the worse of me for the part I am obliged to perform.
(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)
Sometimes before giving treatment, doctors wait to see whether symptoms get worse.
(Neuroblastoma, NIH: National Cancer Institute)
A question about an individual's nausea at its worst.
(Nausea at its Worst, NCI Thesaurus)
"They are, indeed," said the Scarecrow, "and I am thankful I am made of straw and cannot be easily damaged. There are worse things in the world than being a Scarecrow."
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
I'm thinking that Blundell got him at the wrong moment, maybe, or in the wrong fashion.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"The more you mow the lawn, the faster the grass grows." (Albanian proverb)
"If you wish, ask for more." (Arabic proverb)
"The innkeeper trusts his guests like he is himself" (Dutch proverb)