wrong
Noun pluralwrongs
Pluralwrongs
Formswrongs, wronging, wronged
- 1Not correct or true; not in agreement with the facts, or (of a person) mistaken in what they believe or claim.
The figures in the quarterly report turned out to be wrong.
The date printed on the concert ticket was wrong, so we showed up a day early.
UsageA person is wrong about something: I was wrong about the date. To get something wrong is to make a mistake with it.
Similarincorrect, mistaken, inaccurate, erroneous, false
Oppositeright, correct, accurate, true
Note
Behind the everyday sense of error lies a picture of shape. A wrong answer is, at bottom, a bent one, and the old shape still shows in the literal "twisted" sense. Poe's "You are not wrong, who deem" shows the useful understatement not wrong, which concedes a point without quite agreeing.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Wrong has a literal sense meaning “twisted.” en.wiktionary.org
- “You are not wrong, who deem” is an exact line from a poem by Edgar Allan Poe. eapoe.org
- 2Morally bad; against what is good or just.
Most people agree that harming the innocent is wrong.
She felt it was wrong to keep the money she had found.
UsageOften with it: it is wrong to lie. You're wrong to doubt her can mean mistaken rather than morally bad.
- 3Not suitable, proper, or fitting for the situation.
She realized she had chosen the wrong tool for the job.
Bringing up money seemed like the wrong thing to do at dinner.
UsageBefore a noun, usually use the wrong: the wrong tool, the wrong bus. Also use wrong for: This tool is wrong for the job.
Similarunsuitable, inappropriate, improper
Oppositeright, suitable, appropriate, proper
- 4Not working properly; out of order.
The mechanic couldn't find what was wrong with the engine.
There's something wrong with the heater, since it won't turn on.
UsageComes after the verb, often with with: something is wrong with the engine. What's wrong? asks about feelings too.
Oppositeright
- 5In an incorrect way; not correctly.
He guessed wrong about which road would be faster.
If you add the numbers wrong, the whole monthly budget will be off.
UsageGoes after the verb: spell it wrong, guess wrong, go wrong. Before a verb, use wrongly: wrongly accused.
Similarincorrectly, badly, awry, amiss
- 6What is morally bad or unjust; the opposite of right.
He insisted there was no wrong in simply speaking the truth.
She was raised to speak up against wrong whenever she saw it around her.
UsageCommon in right and wrong and know right from wrong.
Similarevil, injustice, wickedness, sin, immorality
- 7To treat someone unjustly or unfairly, for example by harming them, denying them their rights, or falsely accusing them.
Many believed the verdict had wronged the defendant.
Those who wrong others rarely admit it openly.
UsageOften passive: be wronged by someone. To feel wronged is to feel treated unfairly.
- 8An unjust or harmful act committed against someone.
A wrong done in anger can take years to forgive.
She devoted her life to righting the wrongs she had witnessed.
UsageYou do someone a wrong, and try to right a wrong.
Similargrievance
Note
Unlike the general "something immoral" sense, this noun points to a specific injury done to someone. John Dowland's 1597 song already uses the plural: "Can she excuse my wrongs with Virtue's cloak?"
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- The quoted opening line is accurate and contains the plural 'wrongs'. en.wikisource.org
Less common meanings
- 9The state of being mistaken or at fault in a dispute.
After reviewing the facts, she saw that she was in the wrong.
Both drivers insisted the other was in the wrong.
UsageUsed in be in the wrong, with the: both drivers said the other was in the wrong.
Oppositeright
Note
Shakespeare's "She had the wrong" in Henry VI, Part 3, is not this idiom: there King Edward means Lady Bona was the one wronged. The phrase assigns fault between parties rather than judging a single act. That is how two drivers can each insist that the other is in the wrong.
- 10Twisted or bent; crooked and out of true.
Similarcrooked, twisted, bent, warped
Note
The literal shape that the everyday "incorrect" meaning grew from: twisted, out of true, as in a wrong nose. Its nearest synonym is wry, which keeps the same picture of something bent and turned aside. Used this way, the word describes form rather than fault. A wrong nose is crooked, not mistaken, and a reader who meets it should hear physical shape first.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- The everyday "incorrect" meaning derives from an earlier meaning involving crooked or twisted physical shape. en.wiktionary.org
- 11Meant to be worn or placed facing inward, away from sight.
Press the seam flat against the wrong side of the cloth.
He had pulled the sweater on with the wrong side facing out.
UsageMostly in the wrong side of cloth. Wrong side out means inside out.
Oppositeright
Note
A sewing term that lives in the fixed phrase the wrong side of a garment or a piece of cloth. It names the face meant to lie inward, hidden in wear, opposite the right side that shows the finished pattern or nap. Nothing is faulty about it. Seams are pressed against it, so the word here describes position alone and carries no hint of error.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Seams are commonly pressed on the wrong side of the fabric. pubs.nmsu.edu
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
Old English wrang ("wrong, twisted, uneven") became Middle English wrong. It may have been taken from Old Norse rangr or vrangr ("crooked, wrong"), which goes back to Proto-Germanic *wrangaz ("crooked, twisted") and probably to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning to twist, weave or turn. Danish vrang and Swedish vrång are related.