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
What’s lost becomes found, what was misunderstood becomes clear, and what needed to go wrong to get you on this path to begin with starts to make a little more sense. — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026 If proprietary data is the one thing a competitor cannot buy, there are two very different ways to turn it into an advantage, and most companies build the wrong one. — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2026
Noun
The Knicks get their chance to right the wrongs of Ring Night in a rematch with the 76ers in Philly on Friday. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 29 Oct. 2026 Truly a can’t-go-wrong spot to carbo-load while watching everyone else do the running. — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026
Adverb
Miami and Cleveland are among the teams currently navigating the fallout of getting that decision wrong. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2026 Julian is never seen as a bad person, but one who genuinely likes and is attracted to Tessa, thus his failure to recognize doing anything wrong that night. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 13 Sep. 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
  • William James Middle received its fifth unacceptable rating in a row in the 2025-26 school year.
    — Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Not going for it on 4th down, and then settling for a field goal attempt with a 3 point lead is unacceptable!
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • During the 2022 midterm elections, independent observers from the Carter Center reported significant numbers of voters arriving at incorrect precincts, likely because of changes associated with redistricting.
    — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • An earlier version of this story included an incorrect name and gender for the victim in the crash, based on information from the highway patrol.
    — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of incorrect
Adjective
  • When the employee told Gonzalez the questions were inappropriate, Gonzalez took a drink of beer and intentionally spat it onto the worker's arm.
    — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • According to the lawsuit, this arrangement is inappropriate because immigration detention is civil, not criminal.
    — Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of inappropriate
Adjective
  • According to a lawsuit, a coding error resulted in erroneous scores being generated and reported to third parties over a three-week period between March and April 2022.
    — Brian Sloan,Dan Avery, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • While descending, deputies said the climber ran into trouble after following an erroneous GPS route that led him onto the Whitney Glacier.
    — Tim Fang, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of erroneous
Adjective
  • Hollywood called out as immoral as studio puts paying viewers in charge of the screen.
    — , FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Convince people that an innocent person represents an existential threat, furnish them with a frightening conspiracy theory about an immoral enemy, and some may become willing to kill.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 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
  • That ordinary people, working together, could challenge powerful institutions, overcome injustice, and build something better.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Their goal was for the album to tell a story of radicalization, following a protagonist who shifts from complacency to an awareness of injustice and institutional oppression, and ultimately resolves to act against it.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of injustice
Adverb
  • Ask whether the time changed, the location changed, or someone simply explained it badly.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The Heat were badly outclassed by Luka Doncic and the Lakers.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 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 5 Nov. 2026.

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