wrong

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like right, exists as an adverb alongside the regularly formed word wrongly. It is mostly used with a limited number of words and means roughly 'incorrectly', or 'astray', as in We guessed wrong and I said it wrong. In these cases wrongly can also be used, but the effect can be somewhat ponderous, and wrongly comes into its own in the more general meaning 'in error' or 'in the wrong way', especially when coming before rather than after an adjective or participle (= in error)

It arrived at Heathrow as mishandled luggage, having been wrongly off-loaded in Rome from a flight from Australia to London—Daily Telegraph, 1972

(= in the wrong way) The court was told the machine had been wrongly calibrated at the police station—news website, British English 2003 [Old English (up to 1150)C].

Note that in the expression go wrong, wrong is probably not an adverb but still an adjective (agreeing with the subject as with become and other verbs).

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adjective

1. Containing an error or errors: erroneous, fallacious, false, inaccurate, incorrect, mistaken, off, unsound, untrue. Idioms: all wet, in error, off base, offwide ofthe mark. See correct/incorrect.
2. Devoid of truth: counterfactual, false, specious, spurious, truthless, untrue, untruthful. See true/false.
3. Morally objectionable: bad, black, evil, immoral, iniquitous, peccant, reprobate, sinful, vicious, wicked. See right/wrong.
4. Not in accordance with what is usual or expected: amiss, astray, awry, sour. See surprise/expect, thrive/fail/exist.
5. Afflicted with or exhibiting irrationality and mental unsoundness: brainsick, crazy, daft, demented, disordered, distraught, dotty, insane, lunatic, mad, maniac, maniacal, mentally ill, moonstruck, off, touched, unbalanced, unsound. Informal bonkers, cracked, daffy, gaga, loony. Slang bananas, batty, buggy, cuckoo, fruity, loco, nuts, nutty, screwy, wacky. Chiefly British crackers. Law non compos mentis. Idioms: around the bend, crazy as a loon, mad as a hatter, not all there, nutty as a fruitcake, offout ofone's head, off one's rocker, of unsound mind, out of one's mind, sick in the head, stark raving mad. See sane/insane.

adverb

Not in the right way or on the proper course: afield, amiss, astray, awry,, thrive/fail/exist.

noun

1. A wicked act or wicked behavior: crime, deviltry, diablerie, evil, evildoing, immorality, iniquity, misdeed, offense, peccancy, sin, wickedness, wrongdoing. See right/wrong.
2. That which is morally bad or objectionable: evil, iniquity, peccancy, sin, wickedness. See right/wrong.
3. Lack of justice: inequity, iniquity, injustice, unfairness, unjustness. See law, right/wrong.
4. An act that is not just: disservice, inequity, injustice, raw deal. Law injury. See law, right/wrong.

verb

To do a wrong to; treat unjustly: aggrieve, oppress, outrage, persecute. See right/wrong.

adj

Definition: immoral, dishonest
Antonyms: decent, good, honest, moral

adj

Definition: inappropriate, not suitable
Antonyms: acceptable, appropriate, correct, ok, suitable

adj

Definition: incorrect
Antonyms: correct, right

n

Definition: offense, sin
Antonyms: goodness, kindness, right, virtue

v

Definition: hurt, mistreat another
Antonyms: aid, assist, help, sympathize

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

A violation, by one individual, of another individual's legal rights.

The idea of rights suggests the opposite idea of wrongs, for every right is capable of being violated. For example, a right to receive payment for goods sold implies a wrong on the part of the person who owes, but does not make payment. In the most general point of view, the law is intended to establish and maintain rights, yet in its everyday application, the law must deal with rights and wrongs. The law first fixes the character and definition of rights, and then seeks to secure these rights by defining wrongs and devising the means to prevent these wrongs or provide for their redress.

The criminal law is charged with preventing and punishing public wrongs. Public wrongs are violations of public rights and duties that affect the whole community.

A private wrong, also called a civil wrong, is a violation of public or private rights that injures an individual and consequently is subject to civil redress or compensation. A civil wrong that is not based on breach of contract is a tort. Torts include assault, battery, libel, slander, intentional infliction of mental distress, and damage to property. The same act or omission that makes a tort may also be a breach of contract, but it is the negligence, not the breaking of the contract, that is the tort. For example, if a lawyer is negligent in representing his client, the lawyer may be sued both for malpractice, which is a tort, and for breach of the lawyer-client contract.

The word wrongful is attached to numerous types of injurious conduct. For example, wrongful death is a type of lawsuit brought on behalf of a deceased person's beneficiaries that alleges that the death was attributable to the willful or negligent conduct of another. However, even in these special contexts, the words wrong, wrongful, and wrongfully do not sharply delineate the exact nature of the wrongness. Their presence merely signifies that something bad has occurred.

IN BRIEF: Not true, right or correct.

I couldn't call because I had the wrong phone number.

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sign description: The knuckles of the Y-handshape touch the chin. Use your facial expression to emphasize the intended meaning.

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Quotes:

"A small demerit extinguishes a long service." - Thomas Fuller

"Things don't go wrong, they simply happen." - Jacob Ghitis

"Things have got to be wrong in order that they may be deplored." - Alfred Whitney Griswold

"It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust." - Samuel Johnson

"If you have always done it that way, it is probably wrong." - Charles F. Kettering

"There are few people who are more often in the wrong than those who cannot endure to be so." - Francois De La Rochefoucauld

See more famous quotes about Wrong

adjective
adjective, criminals'

Untrustworthy, unreliable; not sympathetic to or cooperative with criminals. (1908 —) .
D. W. Maurer He was what thieves call a wrong copper, that is, he did not take the fix (1955).

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n

An injury; a tort; a violation of right or of law; an injustice; a violation of right resulting in damage to another.

For a list of words related to wronged, see:

• Sad, Serious, Pessimistic, or Discontented

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See words rhyming with "wronger."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Wrong.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - forkert, gal, urigtig, forkastelig
adv. - forkert, galt
n. - uret, forurettelse, retsbrud
v. tr. - forurette

idioms:

• get in wrong with    komme forkert ind på
• get on the wrong side of    komme på den forkerte side af
• get wrong    gøre forkert, misforstå
• go down the wrong way    få noget i gal hals
• go wrong    gå galt, gå forkert, komme i uorden
• in the wrong    tage fejl, have uret, være uvenner
• on the wrong side of the tracks    på galt spor
• wrong foot    det forkerte ben
• wrong way round    den gale vej, forkert vej rundt

Nederlands (Dutch)
verkeerd, onrechtvaardig, slecht, onrecht(vaardig- heid), misstand, fout

Français (French)
adj. - mauvais, erroné, faux, injuste, mal de, (avoir) tort, qui se trompe, qui ne va pas, bizarre (comportement)
adv. - mal, à tort, avec des erreurs, ne fonctionnant pas (machine, projet)
n. - mal, tort, (Jur) délit
v. tr. - mésestimer, faire du tort à, mésestimer (sout)

idioms:

• do someone wrong    faire du tort à qn
• do wrong    faire du mal
• get in wrong with    se faire mal voir de qn
• get someone wrong    se méprendre sur qn
• get wrong    se tromper de/dans
• go down the wrong way    avaler de travers
• go wrong    se tromper, ne plus marcher (une machine, un projet)
• in the wrong    dans le tort
• on the wrong side of    du mauvais côté de, (se faire) mal voir de
• on the wrong side of the tracks    vivre dans les quartiers pauvres
• wrong foot    (Sport) prendre à contre-pied (football), déconcerter, surprendre, prendre au dépourvu
• wrong side    du mauvais côté, à l'envers (d'un tissu)
• wrong side out    du mauvais côté, à l'envers, (se lever) du pied gauche
• wrong way round    dans le mauvais sens

Deutsch (German)
n. - Unrecht
v. - ungerecht behandeln, unrecht tun
adj. - falsch, Fehl-, ungerecht, nicht in Ordnung
adv. - falsch

idioms:

• do someone wrong    jmdm. unrecht tun
• do wrong    unrecht tun
• get in wrong with    jmds. Gunst verscherzen, es mit jmdm. verderben
• get someone wrong    jmdn. falsch verstehen
• get wrong    falsch verstehen, verkehrt machen, sich irren
• go down the wrong way    in die falsche Kehle geraten
• go wrong    schiefgehen, sich verlaufen, kaputtgehen, vom rechten Weg abkommen
• in the wrong    im Unrecht
• on the wrong side of    überschritten habend
• on the wrong side of the tracks    auf der Schattenseite
• wrong foot    jmdn. auf dem falschen Fuß erwischen
• wrong side    linke Seite
• wrong side out    verkehrt herum
• wrong way round    verkehrt herum

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αδικία, άδικο, κακό
v. - αδικώ
adj. - ανακριβής, λάθος, κακός, άδικος, ακατάλληλος, χαλασμένος
adv. - λάθος, στραβά

idioms:

• get in wrong with    γίνομαι αντιπαθής σε
• get on the wrong side of    γίνομαι αντιπαθής σε
• get wrong    κάνω (κάτι) λάθος
• go down the wrong way    (για φαγητό) κατεβαίνω στραβά
• go wrong    αποτυχαίνω, χαλώ, στραβώνω, σφάλλω, πέφτω έξω
• in the wrong    εν αδίκω, λαθεμένος
• on the wrong side of the tracks    στο άσχημο κομμάτι της πόλης
• wrong foot    αιφνιδιάζω, φέρνω κάποιον σε δύσκολη θέση
• wrong way round    στραβά (βαλμένος)

Italiano (Italian)
ingiustizia, abuso, erroneo, erroneamente, vizioso

idioms:

• get in wrong with    arrabbiarsi con
• get on the wrong side of    prendersela male con
• get wrong    fraintendere
• go down the wrong way    strozzarsi
• go wrong    fallire
• in the wrong    nel torto
• wrong foot    piede sbagliato
• wrong way round    all'opposto

Português (Portuguese)
n. - injustiça (f), erro (m), iniqüidade (f)
v. - errar, violar, tratar injustamente
adj. - errado, ilegal, mau
adv. - mal, indevidamente, ilegalmente

idioms:

• get in wrong with    ser incompreendido
• get on the wrong side of    estar no lado errado, ter impressão incorreta de...
• get wrong    compreender mal
• go down the wrong way    engolir mal
• go wrong    errar, se perder
• in the wrong    moral ou legalmente incorreto
• wrong foot    ser pego em contrapé em um lance de tênis
• wrong way round    do avesso

Русский (Russian)
неправильно, плохо, вред, обида, ошибочность, несправедливость, правонарушение, неправильный, ложный, неуместный, дурной, несправедливый, неудовлетво- рительный, быть несправедливым, причинять зло, обижать, лишать (обманом, силой), нанести телесное повреждение

idioms:

• get in wrong with    попасть в немилость
• get on the wrong side of    испортить отношения с кем-л.
• get wrong    просчитаться, неправильно понять
• go down the wrong way    пойти по неправильному пути
• go wrong    сбиться с пути (истинного), не получиться, выйти из строя, начать работать с перебоями
• in the wrong    ошибаться, быть виновным
• wrong foot    невыгодное положение
• wrong way round    неправильно, ошибочно

Español (Spanish)
adj. - malo, erróneo, equivocado, falso, indebido, incorrecto, descompuesto, estropeado, mal
adv. - mal, sin razón, injustamente, al revés, equivocadamente
n. - injusticia, agravio, entuerto, mal, daño, injuria
v. tr. - hacer mal a, causar perjuicio a, ser injusto con, agraviar, injuriar, ofender

idioms:

• do someone wrong    ser injusto con alguien
• do wrong    obrar mal
• get in wrong with    caerle mal a alguien
• get someone wrong    dejar mal parado a alguien
• get wrong    entender mal, interpretar mal
• go down the wrong way    atorarse, atragantarse
• go wrong    extraviarse, perderse, descarriarse, fallar, fracasar, ir mal, darse a la mala vida, dejar de funcionar
• in the wrong    estar equivocado, no tener razón, ser culpable
• on the wrong side of    con el pie izquierdo, el lado equivocado
• on the wrong side of the tracks    la parte pobre de una comunidad residencial, de humilde condición
• wrong foot    desequilibrar, tomar desprevenido, desconcertar, sorprender, meter la pata
• wrong side    el lado malo
• wrong side out    al revés
• wrong way round    camino contrario, al contrario, al revés, contrario a la secuencia normal o deseable

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - oförrätt, orättvisa, missförhållande
v. - fela, kränka, bedöma orätt
adj. - fel, på tok, i olag
adv. - fel, på tok, i olag

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
错误的, 道德不好的, 不正当的, 错误地, 坏事, 不公正, 错误, 不公正地对待, 使丢脸, 使无礼

idioms:

• get in wrong with    惹...讨厌
• get on the wrong side of    失去...的欢心, 失宠于...
• get wrong    弄错, 误解
• go down the wrong way    指食物进入气管
• go wrong    走错路, 失败, 出毛病
• in the wrong    错了, 不对, 弄错, 应受责备
• on the wrong side of the tracks    贫苦, 处于不应该在的情况
• wrong foot    打乱...的阵脚, 打得...手忙脚乱
• wrong way round    方向不对, 不正

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 錯誤的, 道德不好的, 不正當的
adv. - 錯誤地
n. - 壞事, 不公正, 錯誤
v. tr. - 不公正地對待, 使丟臉, 使無禮

idioms:

• get in wrong with    惹...討厭
• get on the wrong side of    失去...的歡心, 失寵於...
• get wrong    弄錯, 誤解
• go down the wrong way    指食物進入氣管
• go wrong    走錯路, 失敗, 出毛病
• in the wrong    錯了, 不對, 弄錯, 應受責備
• on the wrong side of the tracks    貧苦, 處於不應該在的情況
• wrong foot    打亂...的陣腳, 打得...手忙腳亂
• wrong way round    方向不對, 不正

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 그릇된, 잘못된, 부적당한
adv. - 나쁘게, 잘못된 방법으로, 탈이 나서
n. - (도덕적인) 악, (남에게 대한) 부당[행위], 과실
v. tr. - ~에게 해를 끼치다, 학대하다, 오해하다

idioms:

• get in wrong with    아무의 반감을 사다, 아무에게 미움을 받다
• get on the wrong side of    ~의 역정을 사다, ~에게 미움 받다
• get wrong    아무를 오해하다
• go down the wrong way    (음식물이) 잘못 들어가다
• go wrong    길을 잘못 들다, (일이) 잘 안되다, 고장 나다
• in the wrong    부정으로, 그릇되어, 나쁜

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 誤った, 悪い, 調子が悪い, 故障した, 不適当な, 裏の
n. - 悪, 悪行
adv. - 誤って, 悪く, 不正に
v. - 不当に扱う, 誤解する, 虐待する

idioms:

• barking up the wrong tree    全くお門違いのことを非難する
• get in wrong with    嫌われものにする
• get off on the wrong foot    出だしを誤る
• get on the wrong side of    人の不興を買う
• get the wrong end of the stick    勘違いする, 誤解する
• get wrong    誤解する
• go down the wrong way    誤って気管にはいる
• go wrong    道を間違える, 失敗する, 身を誤る, 故障する
• in the wrong    誤って, 不正で
• on the wrong side of    坂を越して
• on the wrong side of/across the tracks    貧乏な地区に
• on the wrong track    間違った道筋で
• wrong foot    気まずくする
• wrong way round    間違った順序, さかさまに

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) خطأ, بغي, ضرر, أذى, ظلم, غالط (فعل) يضر, يسيء, يخطئ, يؤذي (صفه) غير صحيح, مختلف, غلطان (ظرف) خطأ, بصورة غير لائق, بصورة غير صحيحه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮שגוי, לא-נכון, לא-טוב, לא-צודק, לא-הוגן, לא-תקין, טועה, מוטעה, רע‬
adv. - ‮לא בסדר, באופן לא-טוב, בצורה לא-נכונה, באורח מוטעה, שלא כראוי‬
n. - ‮חטא, עוול, עבירה, טעות‬
v. tr. - ‮היה לא-הוגן כלפי, גרם עוול ל-, נהג שלא בצדק‬

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