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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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
People who missed the Fever's explanation were getting the wrong account of what happened. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 If something on your I-94 looks wrong, don’t panic—but don’t ignore it either. — Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
Joe Alt, who was called for a hold that resulted in a safety on an anything-that-can-go-wrong-will-go-wrong Sunday. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 With quarterback Cooper Rush set to start his second straight game, the Falcons are looking to right some of the wrongs from the Pittsburgh matchup, where Rush was dealing with back issues and struggled to get the offense going. — AJC.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Adverb
The Pirates picked wrong, and that decision set the stage for one of the coolest moments of Eldridge’s career. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2026 The north Londoners took the lead in the first half through £100million ($134m) summer signing Sandro Tonali, whose effort from outside the box deflected off Chelsea defender Levi Colwill and wrong-footed goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe. — Elias Burke, New York Times, 1 Aug. 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
  • The idea of not spending evenings with my kid is, kids are, is completely unacceptable.
    — Michael Birnbaum The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
  • OpenAI took months to discover the incident and notify the Australian agencies affected — that’s unacceptable by my standard.
    — Rumman Chowdhury, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • What prevents an incorrect action from propagating into the physical process?
    — Gregory Shahnovsky, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The sports media rarely treats athletes who espouse liberal or progressive political views as problematic, even when those views are provocative, divisive, or factually incorrect.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of incorrect
Adjective
  • On the police's Facebook account on Tuesday, officers criticized inappropriate comments and warned that sharing or joking about such incidents can worsen the impact on any victim.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In addition, pharmaceutical advertising or education aimed at doctors may also increase inappropriate prescribing, probably increases the number of prescriptions written, and may increase the costs of prescriptions.
    — Ed Silverman, STAT, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of inappropriate
Adjective
  • Instead, Denver retained possession and capitalized on the erroneous call to win.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • That a reporter or two heard of this normal process led to the erroneous inference that a change of leadership is imminent.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of erroneous
Adjective
  • Central to the exhibition is the tension between the honorable and the immoral, the appealing and the revolting.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial premiered at New York Film Festival last night and left many people wondering, Just how funny can a movie about both the terrible capacity of generative AI and the immoral people in charge of it be?
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Oct. 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
  • In a powerfully compelling novel that brims with the cadences of the Black South, Jones explores the women’s diverging lives while using them as a lens to observe social injustice in language that is intimate, conversational, and musical.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The case has drawn widespread attention in Atlanta, where Turner's death became a flashpoint amid nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of injustice
Adverb
  • The Anthropic report is the latest warning issued by the company concerning rogue AI agents operating on their own and sometimes behaving badly.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Although the house is still standing, the interior was left so badly damaged that the family can no longer live there.
    — Joan Murray, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of badly

Phrases Containing wrong

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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 Oct. 2026.

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