wrong

[rawng, rong] /rɔŋ, rɒŋ/
adjective
1.
not in accordance with what is morally right or good:
a wrong deed.
2.
deviating from truth or fact; erroneous:
a wrong answer.
3.
not correct in action, judgment, opinion, method, etc., as a person; in error:
You are wrong to blame him.
4.
not proper or usual; not in accordance with requirements or recommended practice:
the wrong way to hold a golf club.
5.
out of order; awry; amiss:
Something is wrong with the machine.
6.
not suitable or appropriate:
He always says the wrong thing.
7.
(of clothing) that should be worn or kept inward or under:
You're wearing the sweater wrong side out.
noun
8.
that which is wrong, or not in accordance with morality, goodness, or truth; evil:
I committed many wrongs.
9.
an injustice:
The wrongs they suffered aged them.
10.
Law.
  1. an invasion of another's right, to his damage.
  2. a tort.
adverb
11.
in a wrong manner; not rightly; awry; amiss:
You did it wrong again.
verb (used with object)
12.
to do wrong to; treat unfairly or unjustly; harm.
13.
to impute evil to (someone) unjustly; malign.
Idioms
14.
get in wrong, Slang. to cause to come into disfavor:
We are forever getting in wrong with the people next door.
15.
go wrong,
  1. to go amiss; fail:
    Everything is going wrong today.
  2. to pursue an immoral course; become depraved:
    Bad friends caused him to go wrong.
16.
in the wrong, to blame; in error:
He knew he was in the wrong but refused to concede the point.
Origin
before 1100; (adj.) Middle English wrong, wrang, Old English wrang, perhaps < Old Danish wrang; compare Danish vrang wrong, Old Norse rangr awry; (v. and adv.) Middle English, derivative of the adj.; (noun) Middle English; Old English wrang, derivative of the adj.; akin to wring
Related forms
wronger, noun
wrongly, adverb
wrongness, noun
quasi-wrong, adjective
Can be confused
wrong, wrongful.
Synonyms
1. bad, evil, wicked, sinful, immoral, iniquitous, reprehensible, crooked. 2. inaccurate, incorrect, false, untrue, mistaken. 6. improper, unsuitable. 8. misdoing, wickedness, sin, vice. 12. maltreat, abuse, oppress, cheat, defraud, dishonor.
Examples from the web for wrong
  • It's also wrong: in fact, it's the reverse of the truth.
  • It is wrong to look down on other faiths on the grounds that their creeds are erroneous.
  • Our students are not wrong in the content of their protests on behalf of education.
  • Frogs may signal that something's wrong in the environment.
  • Three quarters of folks who experienced similar events can't be that wrong.
  • Then one day he happened to mention this to an older gardener and found out he was growing the wrong variety.
  • Everything you know about starting a company is wrong.
  • Most literature on why students leave doctoral programs asks what's wrong with the student.
  • He should not have been trying to prove deniers wrong or right.
  • The writer got it wrong in the text and the caption writer may not have known better.
British Dictionary definitions for wrong

wrong

/rɒŋ/
adjective
1.
not correct or truthful: the wrong answer
2.
acting or judging in error: you are wrong to think that
3.
(postpositive) immoral; bad: it is wrong to cheat
4.
deviating from or unacceptable to correct or conventional laws, usage, etc
5.
not intended or wanted: the wrong road
6.
(postpositive) not working properly; amiss: something is wrong with the engine
7.
(US) (of a side, esp of a fabric) intended to face the inside so as not to be seen
8.
(informal) get on the wrong side of, (US) get in wrong with, to come into disfavour with
9.
go down the wrong way, (of food) to pass into the windpipe instead of the gullet
adverb
10.
in the wrong direction or manner
11.
go wrong
  1. to turn out other than intended
  2. to make a mistake
  3. (of a machine, etc) to cease to function properly
  4. to go astray morally
12.
get wrong
  1. to fail to understand properly
  2. to fail to provide the correct answer to
noun
13.
a bad, immoral, or unjust thing or action
14.
(law)
  1. an infringement of another person's rights, rendering the offender liable to a civil action, as for breach of contract or tort: a private wrong
  2. a violation of public rights and duties, affecting the community as a whole and actionable at the instance of the Crown: a public wrong
15.
in the wrong, mistaken or guilty
verb (transitive)
16.
to treat unjustly
17.
to discredit, malign, or misrepresent
18.
to seduce or violate
Derived Forms
wronger, noun
wrongly, adverb
wrongness, noun
Word Origin
Old English wrang injustice, from Old Norse vrang; see wring
Word Origin and History for wrong
adj.

late Old English, "twisted, crooked, wry," from Old Norse rangr, earlier *wrangr "crooked, wry, wrong," from Proto-Germanic *wrangaz (cf. Danish vrang "crooked, wrong," Middle Dutch wranc, Dutch wrang "sour, bitter," literally "that which distorts the mouth"), from PIE *wrengh- "to turn" (see wring).

Sense of "not right, bad, immoral, unjust" developed by c.1300. Wrong thus is etymologically a negative of right (from Latin rectus, literally "straight"). Latin pravus was literally "crooked," but most commonly "wrong, bad;" and other words for "crooked" also have meant "wrong" in Italian and Slavic. Cf. also French tort "wrong, injustice," from Latin tortus "twisted." Wrong-headed first recorded 1732. To get up on the wrong side (of the bed) "be in a bad mood" is recorded from 1801.

n.

"that which is improper or unjust," c.1100, from wrong (adj.). Meaning "an unjust action" is recorded from c.1200.

v.

"to do wrong to," early 14c., from wrong (adj.). Related: Wronged; wronging.

Idioms and Phrases with wrong

wrong

see: