From Middle English wrong, from Old English wrang (“wrong, twisted, uneven”), from Old Norse rangr, *vrangr (“crooked, wrong”), from Proto-Germanic *wrangaz (“crooked, twisted, turned awry”), from Proto-Indo-European *werḱ-, *wrengʰ- (“to twist, weave, tie together”), from *wer- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate with Scots wrang (“wrong”), Danish vrang (“wrong, crooked”), Swedish vrång (“perverse, distorted”), Icelandic rangur (“wrong”), Norwegian Nynorsk rang (“wrong”), Dutch wrang (“bitter, sour”) and the first element in the mythic Old Frisian city of Rungholt (“crooked wood”). More at wring.
wrong (comparative more wrong, superlative most wrong)
- Incorrect or untrue.
Some of your answers were correct, and some were wrong.
c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:Among this princely heap, if any here / By false intelligence or wrong surmise / Hold me a foe […]
2015 December 26, Victor Robert Farrell, Night-Whispers Vol 01-Q1-'Stirring Passions'[1], Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 143:In this respect then, Gabriel's repetitive lyric of everyone playing: “games without frontiers and war without tears” was on the one hand quite funnily wrong. 'It's a Knockout' produced tears of laughter. […]
2024 January 10, Christian Wolmar, “A time for change? ... just as it was back in issue 262”, in RAIL, number 1000, page 61:Throughout this time, Mystic Wolmar has been trying his luck and mostly getting it wrong - especially in 2006, when he got virtually everything wrong, including the departure of Tony Blair.
- Asserting something incorrect or untrue.
You're wrong: he's not Superman at all.
- Immoral, not good, bad.
It is wrong to lie.
- Improper; unfit; unsuitable.
A bikini is the wrong thing to wear on a cold day.
- Not working; out of order.
Something is wrong with my cellphone.
Don't cry, honey. Tell me what's wrong.
- Designed to be worn or placed inward
- Twisted; wry.
a wrong nose
- The single-word comparative and superlative forms wronger and wrongest are no longer in common use, except humorously; rather, the locutions “more wrong” and “most wrong” are preferred.
- When wrong is used attributively, before a noun, the noun is usually treated as definite, using the article the; hence, for example, one says, “I dialed the wrong number”, “he gave the wrong answer”, and “she took the wrong approach”, even though there are many possible wrong numbers, answers, and approaches, of which only one was dialed, given, or taken.
- 2007 January 3, Ken Miller, “The Collapse of Intelligent Design: Will the next Monkey Trial be in Ohio?”, Case Western University, Strosacker Auditorium
- […] that statement is wrong. Now that's not an incidental statement, that is the heart and soul of the Intelligent Design argument, and in this case it turns out to be wrong. Now it's even wronger than that [laughter] because it turns out that not only do these proteins make up the Type-III Secretory Apparatus but almost every protein in the bacerial flagellum is strongly homologous to proteins that have other functions elsewhere in the cell.
nouns
- wrong way
- wrong side
- wrong thing
- wrong place
- wrong direction
- wrong time
- wrong person
- wrong answer
- wrong idea
- wrong kind
adverbs
- very wrong
- terribly wrong
- horribly wrong
- completely wrong
- entirely wrong
- seriously wrong
- morally wrong
- quite wrong
- clearly wrong
incorrect
- American Sign Language: Y@Chin-PalmBack
- Arabic: خَاطِئ m (ḵāṭiʔ), خَطَأ m (ḵaṭaʔ)
- South Levantine Arabic: غلطان (ḡálaṭ) (thing), غلطان (ḡalṭān) (person)
- Armenian: սխալ (hy) (sxal)
- Azerbaijani: səhv (az), yanlış
- Bashkir: яңылыш (yañılış)
- Belarusian: непра́вільны (njeprávilʹny)
- Bulgarian: гре́шен (bg) (gréšen), неправилен (bg) (nepravilen)
- Burmese: မှား (my) (hma:)
- Catalan: incorrecte (ca), erroni, equivocat
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 錯/错 (co3)
- Mandarin: 錯/错 (zh) (cuò)
- Czech: chybný (cs), nesprávný (cs)
- Danish: forkert (da)
- Dutch: fout (nl), verkeerd (nl), onjuist (nl), mis (nl)
- Esperanto: malĝusta
- Finnish: väärä (fi)
- French: erroné (fr), incorrect (fr), fautif (fr), faux (fr) m
- Gagauz: yanlış
- Georgian: მცდარი (mcdari), არასწორი (arasc̣ori)
- German: falsch (de), verkehrt (de)
- Greek: λανθασμένος (el) m (lanthasménos), λάθος (el) (láthos), εσφαλμένος (el) m (esfalménos)
- Hebrew: לא נכון m (lo nakhon)
- Hindi: अशुद्ध (hi) (aśuddh), त्रुटिपूर्ण (truṭipūrṇ), ग़लत (hi) (ġalat)
- Hungarian: hibás (hu), téves (hu), rossz (hu)
- Icelandic: rangur (is), óréttur
- Indonesian: salah (id), keliru (id)
- Interlingua: incorrecte, erronee
- Irish: contráilte
- Italian: sbagliato (it), errato (it), erroneo (it), scorretto (it)
- Japanese: 間違った (ja) (まちがった, machigatta), 誤った (ja) (あやまった, ayamatta), 違った (ja) (ちがった, chigatta)
- Kabuverdianu: rabés
- Kazakh: теріс (terıs)
- Khmer: ខុស (km) (khos)
- Korean: 그른 (ko) (geureun)
- Kumyk: янгылыш (yañılış)
- Latin: falsus, perperus, erroneus
- Latvian: nepareizs, kļūdains
- Lithuanian: neteisingas (lt), klaidingas (lt), blogas (lt), nekorektiškas
- Luxembourgish: falsch
- Mongolian: буруу (mn) (buruu)
- Norwegian: galt (no), uriktig
- Bokmål: feil (no)
- Nynorsk: feil
- Old English: wōh
- Persian: غلط (fa) (ğalat)
- Plautdietsch: faulsch
- Polish: błędny (pl), mylny (pl), zły (pl), nieprawidłowy (pl)
- Portuguese: errado (pt), incorreto (pt)
- Quechua: panta
- Romanian: greșit (ro), incorect (ro)
- Russian: непра́вильный (ru) (neprávilʹnyj), неве́рный (ru) (nevérnyj), оши́бочный (ru) (ošíbočnyj)
- Sanskrit: त्रुटिपूर्ण (truṭipūrṇa)
- Scots: wrang
- Scottish Gaelic: ceàrr
- Serbo-Croatian: pogrješan, kriv (sh), pogrešan (sh)
- Sicilian: sbagghiatu (scn)
- Slovene: napačen
- Sorbian:
- Lower Sorbian: wopacny, njepšawy
- Upper Sorbian: njeprawy, wopačny, njewěrny
- Spanish: incorrecto (es), falso (es), equivocado (es), errado (es), erróneo (es)
- Swedish: fel (sv), felaktig (sv), inkorrekt (sv)
- Telugu: తప్పు (te) (tappu)
- Thai: ผิด (th) (pìt)
- Turkish: yanlış (tr), hatalı (tr)
- Ukrainian: непра́вильний (neprávylʹnyj)
- Urdu: غلط (ġalat)
- Vietnamese: sai (vi) (差), không đúng
- Volapük: neverätik (vo)
- Waray-Waray: sala, sayop
- West Frisian: fout, ferkeard
- Yiddish: נישט ריכטיק (nisht rikhtik), פֿאַלש (falsh)
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asserting something incorrect
— see also be wrong
immoral
- Armenian: վատ (hy) (vat)
- Bulgarian: несправедлив (bg) (nespravedliv)
- Czech: špatný (cs)
- Dutch: slecht (nl), fout (nl), verkeerd (nl)
- Finnish: väärä (fi)
- French: immoral (fr), mal (fr)
- German: falsch (de), unrecht (de), ungerecht (de), unfair (de)
- Greek: λάθος (el) (láthos)
- Hungarian: helytelen (hu), erkölcstelen (hu)
- Icelandic: ranglátur, rangur (is), siðferðilega rangur, ósiðlegur, ósiðsamur
- Indonesian: salah (id), keliru (id)
- Interlingua: illicite, immoral, mal
- Italian: immorale (it), immorale (it) m or f
- Japanese: 悪い (ja) (わるい,warui), よくない (yokunai)
- Latvian: netikumīgs, amorāls
- Lithuanian: nemoralus, amoralus, nedoras, nedorovingas
- Luxembourgish: onmoralesch, ongerecht
- Norwegian: galt (no)
- Old English: wōh
- Portuguese: errado (pt), imoral (pt)
- Romanian: nedrept (ro), imoral (ro)
- Russian: плохо́й (ru) (ploxój), нехоро́ший (ru) (nexoróšij), безнравственный (ru) (beznravstvennyj), аморальный (ru) (amoralʹnyj)
- Scots: wrang
- Scottish Gaelic: ceàrr
- Spanish: malo (es)
- Swedish: fel (sv)
- Telugu: తప్పుడు (te) (tappuḍu)
- Turkish: kötü (tr), yanlış (tr), ahlaksız (tr)
- Vietnamese: xấu (vi) (醜 (vi)), không tốt
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improper
- Bulgarian: неподходящ (bg) (nepodhodjašt), несъответен (bg) (nesǎotveten)
- Dutch: slecht (nl), fout (nl), verkeerd (nl)
- Finnish: väärä (fi), huono (fi), sopimaton (fi)
- French: impropre (fr), mauvais (fr)
- Georgian: არასწორი (arasc̣ori)
- German: falsch (de)
- Greek: λάθος (el) (láthos), ακατάλληλος (el) m (akatállilos)
- Hungarian: nem megfelelő
- Indonesian: salah (id), keliru (id)
- Interlingua: improprie
- Irish: contráilte
- Italian: improprio (it)
- Japanese: 悪い (ja) (わるい,warui), よくない (yokunai), 不適当な (ふてきとうな,futekitō na), 不適切な (ふてきせつな,futekisetsuna)
- Lithuanian: nepadorus, nesąžiningas, neprideramas, netinkamas
- Luxembourgish: verkéiert, falsch
- Norwegian: gal (no)
- Old English: wōh
- Polish: niewłaściwy (pl), nieodpowiedni (pl)
- Portuguese: errado (pt), impróprio (pt), inadequado (pt)
- Russian: несоотве́тствующий (ru) (nesootvétstvujuščij), непра́вильный (ru) (neprávilʹnyj)
- Scots: wrang
- Scottish Gaelic: ceàrr
- Sorbian:
- Lower Sorbian: njezgódny, wopacny
- Upper Sorbian: njepřihódny
- Spanish: incorrecto (es), falso (es)
- Swedish: fel (sv)
- Telugu: సరికాని (te) (sarikāni)
- Turkish: uygunsuz (tr), yanlış (tr), yersiz (tr)
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not working
- Bulgarian: неработещ (nerabotešt)
- Chickasaw: oppolo
- Dutch: fout (nl), verkeerd (nl), mis (nl)
- Finnish: vialla (fi), vikaa (fi)
- French: qui ne va pas
- German: nicht in Ordnung
- Hungarian: rossz (hu), nem működik (broken, not functioning), nem stimmel (figuratively: amiss)
- Icelandic: vera að
- Indonesian: salah (id), keliru (id)
- Interlingua: a torto
- Japanese: 具合が悪くて (ぐあいがわるくて,guai ga warukute), 故障で (こしょうで, koshōde), 調子が狂って (ちょうしがくるって,chōshi ga kurutte)
- Lithuanian: nedirbantis (lt), neveikiantis, sugedęs
- Norwegian: feil (no)
- Portuguese: errado (pt)
- Russian: неиспра́вный (ru) (neisprávnyj)
- Serbo-Croatian: neispravan (sh)
- Swedish: fel (sv)
- Turkish: hatalı (tr), bozuk (tr)
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designed to be worn or placed inward
Translations to be checked
wrong (comparative more wrong, superlative most wrong)
- (informal) In a way that isn't right; incorrectly, wrongly.
I spelled several names wrong in my address book.
You're doing it all wrong!
1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 131:`Then, just as I was, I walked out of the house and went to the recruiting-office, stating my age wrong.'
wrongly, incorrectly
- American Sign Language: Y@Chin-PalmBack, TH mouthing
- Bulgarian: грешно (bg) (grešno), неправилно (bg) (nepravilno)
- Catalan: malament (ca)
- Czech: špatně (cs)
- Danish: forkert (da)
- Dutch: fout (nl), foutief (nl), verkeerd (nl), onjuist (nl)
- Finnish: väärin (fi)
- German: falsch (de), verkehrt (de)
- Greek: λάθος (el) (láthos), στραβά (el) (stravá)
- Hungarian: rosszul (hu)
- Icelandic: rangt, vitlaust, kolvitlaust
- Interlingua: incorrectemente, erroneemente, a torto
- Italian: erroneamente (it), male (it)
- Norwegian: galt (no)
- Bokmål: feil (no)
- Nynorsk: feil
- Portuguese: incorretamente, erroneamente, erradamente, errado (pt)
- Russian: непра́вильно (ru) (neprávilʹno), не та́к (ne ták)
- Scots: wrang
- Scottish Gaelic: ceàrr
- Slovene: narobe
- Swedish: fel (sv)
- Turkish: yanlış (tr)
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wrong (plural wrongs)
- Something that is immoral or not good.
Injustice is a heinous wrong.
- An instance of wronging someone (sometimes with possessive to indicate the wrongdoer).
1597, John Dowland, The First Booke of Songes or Ayres, Part V:Can she excuse my wrongs with Virtue's cloak? Shall I call her good when she proves unkind?
- The incorrect or unjust position or opinion.
c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], line 101:I blame not her: she could say little less; She had the wrong.
- The opposite of right; the concept of badness.
c. 1605–1608, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], line 28:Thus much of this will make Black white, foul fair, wrong right, Base noble, old young, coward valiant.
something immoral
- Bulgarian: зло (bg) n (zlo), неправда (bg) f (nepravda)
- Dutch: misstand (nl) m, wantoestand (nl) m, onrechtmatige daad (nl) f
- Egyptian: (jwjt)
- Finnish: vääryys (fi)
- French: crime (fr) m
- Friulian: tuart
- Galician: felonía f, crime (gl) m
- German: Vergehen (de) n, Verfehlung f, Unrecht (de) n
- Greek: κακό (el) n (kakó)
- Hungarian: igazságtalanság (hu), becstelenség (hu)
- Italian: torto (it) m
- Old English: unriht (ang) n
- Portuguese: mal (pt) m
- Russian: зло (ru) n (zlo), грех (ru) m (grex) (sin), преступле́ние (ru) n (prestuplénije) (crime), оши́бка (ru) f (ošíbka) (mistake)
- Scottish Gaelic: eucoir f, coire f
- Spanish: mal (es) m, crimen (es)
- Swedish: fel (sv) n
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instance of wronging someone
incorrect opinion or position
Translations to be checked
wrong (third-person singular simple present wrongs, present participle wronging, simple past and past participle wronged)
- To treat unjustly; to injure or harm; to do wrong by.
1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv], line 109:Thou dost then wrong me, as that slaughterer doth Which giveth many wounds when one will kill.
- To deprive of some right, or to withhold some act of justice.
c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], line 121:... And might by no suit gain our audience. When we are wrong'd and would unfold our griefs, We are denied access unto his person Even by those men that most have done us wrong.
- To slander; to impute evil to unjustly.
1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], line 121:O masters! if I were dispos'd to stir Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong, Who (you all know) are honorable men. I will not do them wrong; I rather choose To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, Than I will wrong such honorable men.
Terms derived from the adjective, adverb, noun, or verb wrong
to slander or impute evil
Translations to be checked
wrong m (plural wrongen, diminutive wrongetje n)
- (heraldry) wreath, a ring made of two strips of cloth intertwined used on top of helmets to soften any blow
wrong
- singular past indicative of wringen
Semantic loan from Old Norse rangr, while the form is from Old English wrang (“rough, uneven”); ultimately from Proto-Germanic *wrangaz.
- IPA(key): /wrɔnɡ/, [wrɔŋɡ]
- (later ME) IPA(key): /rɔnɡ/, [rɔŋɡ]
wrong (plural wronges)
- A wrong, injustice
- A (moral) wrong, evil, wrongdoing, sin
- injury, harm
- mistake, misstep
wrong
- wicked, evil, (morally) wrong
- unjust, unfair, illegitimate
- unlawful, illegal
- inappropriate
- inaccurate, mistaken
- curved, crooked, bent