incorrect

play

adjective in·cor·rect \ ˌin-kə-ˈrekt \

Definition of incorrect

1 obsolete :not corrected or chastened

2 a :inaccurate, faulty

an incorrect transcription

b :not true :wrong

incorrect answers

3 :unbecoming, improper

incorrect behavior

—

incorrectly

play \ˌin-kə-ˈrek(t)-lē\ adverb

—

incorrectness

play \ˌin-kə-ˈrek(t)-nəs\ noun

See incorrect defined for English-language learners

See incorrect defined for kids

Examples of incorrect in a Sentence

The doctor's diagnosis was incorrect.
The story in the newspaper is incorrect.
The restaurant considers jeans and T-shirts incorrect attire for dinner.

Recent Examples of incorrect from the Web

The first suit, filed in June, was dismissed when a judge found that there was no evidence that the machines had malfunctioned or produced incorrect results.

— elizabeth weise, USA TODAY, "Election hacking lawsuit over heated Georgia race could be sign of what's to come," 24 Aug. 2017
And yet Trump’s incorrect statements about people of color perhaps shed some light. 2.

— politifact, Teen Vogue, "Donald Trump Lies About Race and Communities of Color," 23 Aug. 2017
An incorrect tweet claiming that Cohn would be resigning caused the stock market rally to falter, with the benchmark index dropping half a point and Treasury yields falling 0.7 percent before recovering when the rumor was quickly debunked.

— emily jane fox, The Hive, "The Bull Case for the Trump Presidency Collapses," 18 Aug. 2017
The incident is just the latest in a number of poor decisions made using the new Video Assistant Referee system, with the incorrect decision made even after consulting a video replay.

— SI.com, "VIDEO: More VAR Chaos as Kaka Sent Off in Bizarre Circumstances During MLS Game for Orlando," 14 Aug. 2017
This story has been updated to reflect a correction in the age of Justin Odoms, which was incorrect in the original State Police news release.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Police identify victim of fatal crash on Route 1 near Darlington Tuesday," 26 July 2017
The National Academies' 2015 report estimated that 10 percent of patient deaths in the U.S. result from these incorrect conclusions—and the corresponding inappropriate treatment.

— dina fine maron, Scientific American, "Sophisticated Digital Aids Could Help Determine What Ails You," 24 July 2017
After earlier losing the quarterfinal match at Wimbledon, Murray was quick to rectify an incorrect statement a reporter made in a question.

— melissa minton, SELF, "Tennis Player Andy Murray Expertly Shut Down Casual Sexism At Wimbledon," 14 July 2017
A phone number listed for Chapman was incorrect, according to a woman who answered the phone.

— colin campbell, baltimoresun.com, "Suspect charged in Federal Hill shooting, police say," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'incorrect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of incorrect

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin incorrectus, from in- + correctus correct

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

incorrect Synonyms

Synonyms

mistaken, wrong, all wet, full of it

Antonyms

correct, right

Related Words

confused, misguided, misinformed, misled; erroneous, false, inaccurate, inexact, untrue; deceived, deluded, duped, tricked

Near Antonyms

informed; accurate, exact, precise, true

INCORRECT Defined for English Language Learners

incorrect

play

adjective

Definition of incorrect for English Language Learners

: not true or accurate
: having errors or mistakes
: not proper or appropriate in a particular situation

INCORRECT Defined for Kids

incorrect

play

adjective in·cor·rect \ ˌin-kə-ˈrekt \

Definition of incorrect for Students

1 :not accurate or true :not correct :wrong

an incorrect answer

2 :not proper

incorrect behavior

—

incorrectly

adverb

Learn More about incorrect

See words that rhyme with incorrect Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for incorrect Spanish Central: Translation of incorrect Nglish: Translation of incorrect for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of incorrect for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up incorrect? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

incorrect

Definition of incorrect

incorrectly

incorrectness

Read the Latest from M-W

Examples of incorrect in a Sentence

Recent Examples of incorrect from the Web

Origin and Etymology of incorrect

incorrect Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to INCORRECT

Related Phrases

INCORRECT Defined for English Language Learners

incorrect

Definition of incorrect for English Language Learners

INCORRECT Defined for Kids

incorrect

Definition of incorrect for Students

incorrectly

Learn More about incorrect

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

Let's Talk 'Tea'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066