wrongful

play

adjective wrong·ful \ˈrȯŋ-fəl\

Definition of wrongful

1 : wrong, unjust
2a : having no legal sanction : unlawfulb : having no legal claim a wrongful heir

wrongfully

play \ˈrȯŋ-fə-lē\ adverb

wrongfulness

noun

See wrongful defined for English-language learners

See wrongful defined for kids

Examples of wrongful in a Sentence

He is suing his former employer for wrongful termination.
charged with wrongful possession of narcotics

Recent Examples of wrongful from the Web

His practice included automobile and trucking accidents, personal injury, wrongful death, insurance disputes and a general practice of law.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Wife of murdered Cullman attorney in good condition, thanks community for prayers," 19 July 2017
Tabitha Speer, the soldier’s widow, and former soldier Layne Morris, who was blinded in the 2002 firefight, won a wrongful death judgment of $134.1 million against Khadr two years ago in Utah.

— miamiherald, "US families seek to seize millions from ex-Guantánamo prisoner," 13 July 2017
Most notably, the estate of Mr. Barson sued Williams for wrongful death in a Palm Beach County circuit court.

— michael mccann, SI.com, "Legal impact of Venus Williams being cleared after fatal car accident," 12 July 2017
The five men’s wrongful conviction is now seen as a gross miscarriage of justice—and soon, Ava DuVernay will tell their story.

— vanityfair.com, "Is Ava DuVernay’s New Project Donald Trump’s Worst Nightmare?," 6 July 2017
The five men’s wrongful conviction is now seen as a gross miscarriage of justice—and soon, Ava DuVernay will tell their story.

— laura bradley, HWD, "Is Ava DuVernay’s New Project Donald Trump’s Worst Nightmare?," 6 July 2017
Families of patients allege in 68 of the cases statewide that doctors, hospitals, nursing home and other medical professionals caused the wrongful death of patients.

— andrew wolfson, The Courier-Journal, "Flocking to Kentucky courthouses, lawyers file 111 med mal cases this week to beat new law," 30 June 2017
The governor’s signature on Senate Bill 43, for which Greitens had not publicly stated his support, will require workers who claim discrimination in wrongful-termination suits to prove that bias was the explicit reason they were fired.

— rick montgomery, kansascity.com, "Greitens signs bill that raises standards for fired employees to win discrimination cases," 30 June 2017
The family of Robert Thomas is suing the yacht club for negligence and wrongful death.

— brian schutmaat, Smithsonian, "Racing the Storm: The Story of the Mobile Bay Sailing Disaster," 29 June 2017

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

First Known Use of wrongful

14th century

WRONGFUL Defined for English Language Learners

wrongful

play

adjective

Definition of wrongful for English Language Learners

: not legal, fair, or moral

WRONGFUL Defined for Kids

wrongful

play

adjective wrong·ful \ˈrȯŋ-fəl\

Definition of wrongful for Students

1 : ¹wrong 3, unjust
2 : unlawful

Law Dictionary

wrongful

play

adjective wrong·ful \ˈrȯŋ-fəl\

Legal Definition of wrongful

1 : constituting a wrong; especially : injurious to the rights of another a wrongful act or omission
2 : unlawful remained in wrongful occupation of the property a wrongful occupant