wrong
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- incorrect, erroneous, fallacious, false, inaccurate, mistaken, untrue, wide of the mark
- bad, criminal, dishonest, evil, illegal, immoral, sinful, unjust, unlawful, wicked, wrongful
- inappropriate, incongruous, incorrect, unacceptable, unbecoming, undesirable, unseemly, unsuitable
- defective, amiss, askew, awry, faulty
[adverb]
Synonyms:
- incorrectly, badly, erroneously, inaccurately, mistakenly, wrongly
- amiss, askew, astray, awry
[noun]
Synonyms:
- offence, crime, error, injury, injustice, misdeed, sin, transgression, wickedness
[verb]
Synonyms:
- mistreat, abuse, cheat, dishonour, harm, hurt, malign, oppress, take advantage of

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Antonyms: right
Contrasted words: ethical, high-principled, moral, righteous, upright, chaste, innocent, pure, virtuous, exact, precise, appropriate, fit, fitting, proper, suitable, guard, protect, safeguard, care (for), cherish, honor, love, respect
Related Idioms: at fault, barking up the wrong tree, in error, on the wrong track, do wrong to (or by)
Related Words: blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible, corrupt, debauched, depraved, abandoned, dissolute, infamous, villainous, blasphemous, unholy, unrighteous, accursed, unblessed, improper, inappropriate, inapt, infelicitous, unfit, unfitting, unhappy, unsuitable, abuse, ill-treat, maltreat, mistreat, harm, hurt, injure, offend

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English Thesaurus: unsuitable/not suitable, not appropriate/inappropriate, wrong, out of place, incompatible, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. wrong¹ S1 W1 /rɒŋ $ rɒːŋ/ adjective
[Word Family: adverb: wrong, wrongly, wrongfully; adjective: wrong, wrongful; verb: wrong; noun: wrong]
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old Norse; Origin: rangr 'not correct or as planned']

1. NOT CORRECT not correct, and not based on true facts Antonym : right:
Your calculations must be wrong.
I think I got question 3 wrong.
it is wrong to do something
It is wrong to assume that technological advance brings a higher quality of life.
I wish you’d stop trying to prove me wrong (=show that I am wrong) all the time.

2. be wrong (about somebody/something) to not be right in what you think or believe about someone or something Synonym : mistaken Antonym : right:
No, you’re wrong. Brett wouldn’t do a thing like that.
I was wrong about the new guy – he’s not Belgian, he’s French.
That’s where you’re wrong! We never slept together.

3. PROBLEMS used to describe a situation where there are problems, or when someone is ill or unhappy
there is something wrong/something is wrong
When he didn’t come back that night, I knew that something was wrong.
wrong with
What is wrong with our society? People just don’t seem to care any more.
Is anything wrong? You haven’t said more than two words since you got here.
Dave’s got something wrong with his foot.
Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong.

4. NOT THE RIGHT ONE not the one that you intended or the one that you really want Antonym : right:
The letter was delivered to the wrong address.
driving on the wrong side of the road
You’ve got the wrong man. I didn’t kill her.
I think we went the wrong way at that last turning.
There’s no one called Julia here. You must have the wrong number (=wrong telephone number).

5. NOT MORALLY RIGHT not morally right or acceptable Antonym : right
it is wrong that
It’s wrong that people should have to sleep on the streets.
it is wrong to do something
We all accept that it is wrong to torture people.
We weren’t doing anything wrong!
wrong with
There’s nothing wrong with making a profit, provided you don’t cheat anyone.

6. NOT SUITABLE not suitable for a particular purpose, situation, or person Antonym : right:
It’s the wrong time of year to be planning a holiday.
wrong for
Anna and I were wrong for each other in dozens of ways (=not suited for a romantic relationship with each other).

7. NOT WORKING if something is wrong with a vehicle or machine, it stops working properly
wrong with
There’s something wrong with the car again. ⇒ go wrong at wrong²(2)

8. be the wrong way round/around
a) to be in the wrong order:
These two paragraphs are the wrong way round.
b) if something is the wrong way round, the back is where the front should be:
You’ve got your T-shirt on the wrong way around.

9. the wrong way up if something is the wrong way up, the top is where the bottom should be Synonym : upside down:
The painting was hung the wrong way up.

10. take something the wrong way to be offended by a remark because you have understood it wrongly:
I like you. Don’t take this the wrong way, now. I mean as a friend.

11. be in the wrong place at the wrong time spoken to get involved in trouble without intending to

12. get on the wrong side of somebody to do something that gives someone a bad opinion of you, so that they do not like or respect you in the future:
I wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of her.

13. get on the wrong side of the law to get into trouble with the police

14. get off on the wrong foot to start a job, relationship etc badly by making a mistake that annoys people

15. get the wrong end of the stick British English informal to understand a situation in completely the wrong way:
Geoff had got the wrong end of the stick, and thought I was angry with him.

16. be on the wrong track/tack to have the wrong idea about a situation so that you are unlikely to get the result you want

17. be from the wrong side of the tracks American English to be from a poor part of a town or a poor part of society

18. be the wrong side of thirty/forty etc informal to be older than 30 etc ⇒ get out of bed on the wrong side at bed¹(8)

19. correct me if I’m wrong used as a polite way of saying that you think what you are going to say is correct:
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you say you were going to do it?

20. you’re not wrong spoken used to agree with someone:
‘This government is ruining the country!’ ‘You’re not wrong there!’

21. fall/get into the wrong hands if something secret or dangerous falls into the wrong hands, it is discovered by someone who may use it to harm people

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. wrong² S2 adverb
[Word Family: adverb: wrong, wrongly, wrongfully; adjective: wrong, wrongful; verb: wrong; noun: wrong]

1. not in the correct way Antonym : right:
You’ve spelt my name wrong.
What? Have I done it wrong?
I asked him to sort those files, but he’s done it all wrong (=in completely the wrong way).

2. go wrong
a) to stop working properly:
Something’s gone wrong with my watch.
b) to make a mistake during a process so that you do not get the right result:
Follow these instructions and you can’t go wrong (=you are sure to succeed).
c) to do something that makes a plan, relationship etc fail:
Thinking back on the marriage, I just don’t know where we went wrong.

3. get something wrong to make a mistake in the way you write, judge, or understand something:
This isn’t it. We must have got the address wrong.
get/have it all wrong (=understand a situation in completely the wrong way)
No, no – you’ve got it all wrong! We’re just friends!

4. don’t get me wrong spoken used when you think someone may understand your remarks wrongly, or be offended by them:
Don’t get me wrong – I like Jenny.

5. you can’t go wrong (with something) spoken used to say that a particular object will always be suitable, satisfactory, or work well:
You can’t go wrong with a little black dress, can you?
⇒ come out wrong at come out

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. wrong³ noun
[Word Family: adverb: wrong, wrongly, wrongfully; adjective: wrong, wrongful; verb: wrong; noun: wrong]

1. [uncountable] behaviour that is not morally right:
He’s too young to know right from wrong.
Those who do wrong should be punished.
somebody can do no wrong (=they are perfect)
Nathan adored her, and she could do no wrong in his eyes.

2. [countable] an action, judgment, or situation that is unfair:
The black population suffered countless wrongs at the hands of a racist regime.
right a wrong (=bring justice to an unfair situation)

3. be in the wrong to make a mistake or deserve the blame for something:
Which driver was in the wrong?

4. do somebody wrong to treat someone badly and unfairly – used humorously

5. two wrongs don’t make a right spoken used to say that if someone does something bad to you, you should not do something bad to them

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

IV. wrong⁴ verb [transitive]
[Word Family: adverb: wrong, wrongly, wrongfully; adjective: wrong, wrongful; verb: wrong; noun: wrong]
formal to treat or judge someone unfairly:
Both sides felt that they had been wronged.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

wrong
adj.
VERBS be, seem | go Things seemed to be going horribly wrong.
get sth He got all his sums wrong.
find sth The doctor could find nothing physically wrong with him.
get sb Don't get me wrong (= don't misunderstand me)?I'm not asking for any favours.
prove sb She was able to prove him wrong.
ADV. all, badly, disastrously, drastically, grossly, hopelessly, horribly, seriously, terribly, tragically You've got it all wrong. I never meant to imply that you were responsible.
absolutely, completely, entirely, fundamentally, quite, totally, wholly | just, simply She's simply wrong for this job.
not far They weren't far wrong with their estimate of 100,000.
not necessarily | clearly, obviously, plainly | morally, physically
PREP. about You were completely wrong about Maurice. He's not leaving.
with She was worried that there was something seriously wrong with her.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

wrong
noun
ADJ. great, terrible | past | legal, moral | civil, criminal There are various kinds of civil wrongs, or torts.
VERB + WRONG commit, do (sb), inflict If they do wrong, they have to be punished. You are answerable in court for wrongs done to individuals. According to her, her son could do no wrong. He admitted he had done her wrong and asked for forgiveness.
compensate (sb) for, make up for, put right, redress, right, undo How can we right these wrongs?
suffer It's the job of the newspapers to expose the wrongs suffered by such people.
forgive The two communities must learn to forgive past wrongs.
acknowledge, apologize for, recognize | see no I see no wrong in asking him to share the expenses.
expose | avenge, take revenge for
PREP. in the ~ Although he knew he was in the wrong, he wouldn't apologize.
PHRASES the difference between right and wrong Children have to learn the difference between right and wrong.
the rights and wrongs (of sth) Whatever the rights and wrongs of the situation, there's not a lot we can do.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

wrong

completely/totally/quite wrong
I may be completely wrong.
hopelessly wrong
In most cases judges are right, but in a few they are hopelessly wrong.
get something wrong
They’ve got their sums wrong.
be proved wrong (=be shown to be wrong)
People do not like to be proved wrong.
there is something/nothing wrong
There’s something wrong with this yogurt.
something/nothing is wrong
It was four whole days before anyone even noticed something was wrong.
what’s wrong
What’s wrong with your leg?
very wrong
Something is very wrong.
terribly/dreadfully/horribly wrong
Harry felt sure that something was terribly wrong.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

wrong
adjective
BAD: The belief that Spanish is easy to learn is wrong.
GOOD: The belief that Spanish is easy to learn is mistaken.

Usage Note:
To describe a belief or idea that is wrong although people do not know it is wrong, use mistaken : 'Some people have the mistaken idea that cats need to drink milk.' 'I'm afraid you must be mistaken.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

unsuitable/not suitable not having the right qualities for a particular person, purpose, or situation:
These toys are not suitable for children under 3.
The job was considered unsuitable for women.
Some dogs end up in totally unsuitable homes.
not appropriate/inappropriate not suitable for a particular situation or purpose – used especially about someone's behaviour or language:
Slang is not appropriate in an academic essay.
Never reward inappropriate behaviour.
It would not be appropriate for us to comment at this stage.
wrong not the right thing or person for a particular job or purpose:
You’re using the wrong spoon – this is the soup spoon.
She was simply the wrong person for the job.
out of place [not before noun] not looking or seeming suitable for that place or situation:
The horse drawn carriage looks a little out of place among the busy traffic.
At first I felt a bit out of place.
incompatible two ideas or things that are incompatible cannot exist or be done together. Two people who are incompatible are unlikely to have a successful relationship, because they have very different characters, beliefs etc:
He considered the role of wife and mother to be incompatible with a career.
Why do totally incompatible people get married?
incongruous formal seeming strange and unsuitable, often in a humorous way, because of being unexpected in a particular situation or very different from its surroundings:
It seemed incongruous having a dance-band at the funeral.
He was dressed in a three-piece suit with an incongruous tie shaped like a fish.
inconvenient an inconvenient place or time is not suitable and causes problems for you:
He always seems to call at inconvenient times.
The new station is inconvenient to pedestrians, because it is a long walk from the centre of town.
unfit not suitable to be used for something, or not suitable to do something :
The boat is not only unfit to live in but is actually unsafe.
The meat was declared unfit for human consumption (=not suitable to eat).
He claims she is an unfit mother.
A jury decided Pryse-Jones was unfit to stand trial at court because of his mental illness.
The house was unfit for human habitation (=not suitable to live in).

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

wrong not correct or right – used about facts, answers etc, or people:
For every wrong answer, you lose five points.
The figure he gave me was wrong.
I think you’re wrong about that.
incorrect something that is incorrect is wrong because someone has made a mistake. Incorrect is more formal than wrong:
I’m afraid these prices are incorrect.
The doctor had made an incorrect diagnosis.
inaccurate something that is inaccurate is not exactly right and contains mistakes:
inaccurate information
inaccurate measurements
The old maps were often inaccurate.
false not based on true facts:
Are the following statements true or false?
He was accused of giving false information to the police.
untrue [not usually before noun] not based on true facts, especially because someone is lying or guessing:
I can’t believe he said that about me. It’s completely untrue!
The allegations were untrue.
misleading a misleading statement or piece of information makes people believe something that is wrong, especially because it does not give all the facts:
The article was very misleading.
misleading statistics
misguided a misguided decision, belief, action etc is wrong because it is based on bad judgement or understanding:
That decision seems misguided now.
It was the consequence of a misguided economic policy.
mistaken wrong – used about ideas and beliefs. Also used about a person being wrong. You’re mistaken sounds more polite and less direct than saying you’re wrong:
She’s completely mistaken if she thinks that I don’t care about her.
a mistaken belief
go badly/seriously wrong
The book is a thriller about a diamond robbery that goes badly wrong.
go horribly/terribly wrong
From that moment on, everything went horribly wrong for the team.
go disastrously wrong
Help was close at hand in case the stunt went disastrously wrong.
go tragically wrong (=so that death or serious injury results)
A father and son died in a fire after a good deed for a friend went tragically wrong.
things go wrong
If things go wrong, they’ll blame me.
something/nothing/everything goes wrong
If something goes wrong with your machine, you can take it back to the dealer.
you can’t go wrong (=you cannot make a mistake)
Turn right and then right again--you really can’t go wrong.
if anything can go wrong, it will
I’m sure that if anything can go wrong, it will.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

wrong
rɔŋ
See: bark up the wrong tree , bet on the wrong horse , get off on the wrong foot , get up on the wrong side of the bed , in the wrong , laugh on the wrong side of one's mouth , rub the wrong way

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲