wrongful

adjective

ˈrȯŋ-fəl How to pronounce wrongful (audio)
Definition of wrongfulnext
as in unlawful
contrary to or forbidden by law charged with wrongful possession of narcotics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wrongful The mother of a 25-year-old man who was fatally shot by Lenexa police officers in June 2025, has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city and the police officers accused of shooting the man. — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026 This, Berlinger believes, is the kind of thinking that ends in wrongful convictions. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2026 Carradine’s family and estate are seeking unspecified general and wrongful-death damages and compensation for medical expenses incurred during his hospitalization. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026 The ride has also been the subject of a wrongful-death lawsuit stemming from the death of a 22-year-old man, Christopher Hawley, who suffered a fatal brain injury after riding X2 in 2022. — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wrongful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrongful
  1. unlawful
  2. criminal
  3. illicit
  4. felonious
Adjective
  • Spires is also charged with felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a dangerous person and three misdemeanors, while Wilson is also charged with two misdemeanors, filings show.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Put more bluntly, sports event contracts are protected by federal law in some parts of the country but remain vulnerable elsewhere to states deeming them unlawful.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of unlawful
Adjective
  • Jacobs was formally charged Thursday with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property, stemming from the May 23 incident at his home near Green Bay.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The bill brings state fireworks licensing requirements in line with federal ones by expanding the list of criminal convictions that make applicants ineligible for fireworks licenses.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • Deli containers, those clear plastic cylinders that hold bagel schmears, premade pasta salads, and the occasional illicit public beach cocktail, enjoy vaunted status in the food world.
    — Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The Lake County State's Attorney said an investigation starting in June 2026 found illicit activity on a peer-to-peer file-sharing network.
    — Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of illicit
Adjective
  • Her husband was arrested that day and faces 10 counts of felonious criminal abuse charges.
    — Jane Park, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Zachary Robert Stacer, 22, was arrested on July 30 and charged with two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, three counts of felonious assault and five counts of resisting and obstructing a police officer.
    — Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of felonious

Browse Nearby Words

wronged
wrongful
wrongfulness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wrongful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrongful. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All