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wrong 1 of 4

adjective

Definition of wrongnext
1
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard there is something wrong with this cake—it has a funny taste

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2
as in incorrect
having an opinion that does not agree with truth or the facts I'm sorry, but the latest research proves you wrong

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3
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation has a knack for saying just the wrong thing

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4
as in erroneous
not being in agreement with what is true her answer that Thomas Jefferson was the second president of the United States is wrong—it was John Adams, of course

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5
as in immoral
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable was caught doing something wrong

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wrong

2 of 4

noun

ˈrȯŋ How to pronounce wrong (audio)
1
as in bad
that which is morally unacceptable any reasonable person should be expected to know the difference between right and wrong

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2
as in injustice
unfair or inadequate treatment of someone or something or an instance of this trying to right all the wrongs in the world

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wrong

3 of 4

adverb

as in badly
off the desired or intended path or course all of our carefully laid plans have gone wrong

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wrong

4 of 4

verb

as in to harm

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun wrong contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of wrong are grievance, injury, and injustice. While all these words mean "an act that inflicts undeserved hurt," wrong applies also in law to any act punishable according to the criminal code; it may apply more generally to any flagrant injustice.

determined to right society's wrongs

When might grievance be a better fit than wrong?

The words grievance and wrong are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grievance applies to a circumstance or condition that constitutes an injustice to the sufferer and gives just ground for complaint.

a list of employee grievances

In what contexts can injury take the place of wrong?

Although the words injury and wrong have much in common, injury applies in law specifically to an injustice for which one may sue to recover compensation.

libel constitutes a legal injury

Where would injustice be a reasonable alternative to wrong?

The synonyms injustice and wrong are sometimes interchangeable, but injustice applies to any act that involves unfairness to another or violation of one's rights.

the injustices suffered by the lower classes

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of wrong
Adjective
There’s no soldering and little opportunity to connect something to entirely the wrong pin and wonder why nothing works. — New Atlas, 5 Sep. 2026 Going forward, most projection systems call for a worse-than-average walk rate for Jobe, but that seems to be wrong in the light of his elite ability to hit the target. — Eno Sarris, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Noun
Tort law is a branch of civil law that deals with civil wrongs or injuries, allowing an injured party to seek compensation from the person or entity responsible. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026 Just in time for Labor Day, the National Labor Relations Board can finally right some of the wrongs of the Biden administration. — Marvin E. Kaplan, Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2026
Adverb
One error was a forecast that proved wrong; the other was a refusal to act on evidence already in view. — Michael Sonnenfeldt, Fortune, 19 July 2026 Nolan trusts his vision over noise because he's proven them wrong before. — Emily Trainham, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2026
Verb
This wasn’t an opportunity to defame someone or make this about how I’d been wronged. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026 Trump accidentally made the case that when the government’s policies cause harm, reparations should be paid by the government to make those who were wronged whole again, or that they should be compensated in some way. — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 21 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for wrong
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrong
  1. unacceptable
  2. incorrect
  3. inappropriate
  4. erroneous
  5. immoral
  6. bad
  7. injustice
  8. badly
Adjective
  • That’s an unacceptable delay for units in active combat operations.
    — Nir Goldstein, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The algorithm is designed to prevent planners from choosing a technically suitable location that may be unacceptable to the people living or working nearby.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • State officials stress that the incorrect information does not belong to another Michigan resident.
    — Terrance Friday, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Manufacturers there can have the products reanalyzed, but dispensaries can’t sell those products until retesting shows the original analysis was incorrect.
    — Christopher Osher, ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of incorrect
Adjective
  • From the seasonally inappropriate hot springs of Beitou to the glossy, souvenir-flogging halls of Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, the plot of this coming-of-age story doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable realities of traveling abroad.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Within minutes, the profile received follow requests, inappropriate direct messages and lewd video calls from adult men.
    — Titania Jordan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of inappropriate
Adjective
  • If operations are fragmented, AI simply helps to produce inconsistent and erroneous work faster.
    — Farzana Abdulhusein, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The lawsuit alleges that South Dakota’s rollout of the proof-of-citizenship requirement has disqualified eligible voters over erroneous minutiae and failed to offer them a realistic shot at fixing problems with their registration application.
    — John Hult, States Newsroom, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of erroneous
Adjective
  • What’s so immoral about a goal scored accidentally with a hand or arm anyway?
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • He was branded a heretic, in part for preaching that the nobility were immoral and so was nobility itself.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of immoral
Noun
  • In addition to public goods, AI will also create public bads.
    — James Broughel, Forbes.com, 8 June 2026
  • Naturally, the meeting is a flop because no one was prepared, and their spontaneous ideas are frankly fireable-offense bad (a baguette bag shaped like a baguette for Paris?
    — Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025
Definition of bad
Noun
  • These injustices also coalesce with innumerable historical and contemporary global histories of genocide and displacement.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
  • That organization awards grants to reduce poverty, stop injustice, and advance human welfare and has awarded about $4 billion across thousands of grants.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of injustice
Adverb
  • Even the odd chance to counter-attack went badly wrong — summed up by the sight of Ouattara almost knocking over team-mate Mikkel Damsgaard with a wayward pass.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • At the time, the Mets were playing particularly badly and making a lot of mistakes on the basepaths, so Ewing’s two failed attempts were somewhat magnified.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of badly

Phrases Containing wrong

Browse Nearby Words

written up
wrong
wrongdoer
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Cite this Entry

“Wrong.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrong. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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