wrongful

adjective

wrong·​ful ˈrȯŋ-fəl How to pronounce wrongful (audio)
1
2
a
: having no legal sanction : unlawful
b
: having no legal claim
a wrongful heir
wrongfully adverb
wrongfulness noun

Examples of wrongful in a Sentence

He is suing his former employer for wrongful termination. charged with wrongful possession of narcotics
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Those other payouts — in wrongful termination lawsuits, disputes with contractors, lawsuits by parents whose children were taken from them and more — still totaled almost $63 million over the time period analyzed, with one-off, multimillion-dollar settlements driving up that total. Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025 What’s more, tenants have filed a steady stream of complaints about their corporate landlords to state authorities, on issues such as maintenance neglect, undisclosed fees and wrongful evictions. Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 26 Sep. 2025 Over the last year, the Suns have faced five lawsuits from current and former employees, some alleging discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other issues. Doug Haller, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025 ChatGPT asked, according to a wrongful-death lawsuit his parents recently filed against OpenAI. Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wrongful

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wrongful was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Wrongful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrongful. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

wrongful

adjective
wrong·​ful ˈrȯŋ-fəl How to pronounce wrongful (audio)
1
: wrong entry 2 sense 1
a wrongful act
2
: unlawful
wrongful possession of another's property
wrongfully adverb
wrongfulness noun

Legal Definition

wrongful

adjective
wrong·​ful ˈrȯŋ-fəl How to pronounce wrongful (audio)
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
wrongfully adverb
wrongfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wrongful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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