2
a
: having no legal sanction : unlawful
b
: having no legal claim
a wrongful heir
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
Hamilton, who’d spent two decades in prison on a wrongful conviction, was flooded with frantic messages and calls from people on the inside.
—
Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
He was released hours later without bond but went on to decry his detention as a wrongful arrest.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for wrongful
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Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
He was released hours later without bond but went on to decry his detention as a wrongful arrest.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for wrongful
Cite this Entry
“Wrongful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrongful. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wrongful
adjective
wrong·ful
ˈrȯŋ-fəl 
1
: wrong entry 2 sense 1
a wrongful act
2
: unlawful
wrongful possession of another's property
wrongfulness
noun
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