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wrong

wrong

1.0
Not suitable for a particular time or purpose
  • adjective
  • /rɔŋ/
translation icon : inadecuado
  • Not money in the abstract, but money in the wrong places.
  • at the wrong time
  • in the wrong place
  • the wrong way

So is is that a wrong way of looking at pathos?

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Examples

  • No, I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • It's just you're in a wrong place at the wrong time.

  • Is that the wrong way of looking at it?

  • I think that we are in the wrong place.

  • And you know that you may be asking the wrong first questions.

  • We said it was the wrong tax at the wrong time, the wrong choice.

  • Afterward, it's the wrong time to do research.

  • I worry about providing wrong answers to math questions my students may have.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Don't take this the wrong way.

  • She realized that she had been asking the wrong questions during the interview.

Synonyms

inappropriate
vswrong
354 3.7

Not right for a situation or event

is similar but also emphasises happening at a bad time
unacceptable
vswrong
256 3.2

Not good enough or not allowed by rules

covers misuse of timing or purpose rather than strict rule breaches
improper
vswrong
100 4.1

Not suitable according to normal rules or standards

is less about rules and more about bad timing or moment
not acceptable
vswrong
44 2.2

Not allowed by rules and not good enough for standards

is about unsuitability for time or purpose rather than formal rules
untimely
vswrong
34 5.3

Happening at a bad time, often earlier than expected

is the more general notion that includes timing as one factor
unseemly
vswrong
33 7.8

Not proper or polite for a situation

is broader, applying also to actions happening at inappropriate moments
uncalled for
vswrong
21 5.1

Not appropriate or needed for the situation

is broader, also covering actions that simply occur at bad times
unsuitable
vswrong
20 2.6

Not right for a person, place, or purpose

adds the idea that timing can make something especially inappropriate
unbecoming
vswrong
  • Formal
15 6.7

Not suitable for a situation or for what people expect

is similar but also emphasises when something happens being inappropriate
incongruous
vswrong
14 7.4

Not fitting with the things around it and looking strange

is broader, including poor timing as a form of mismatch
ill-timed
vswrong
3 5.5

Happening at a bad time that causes problems

is broader, combining unsuitable purpose with poor timing
inadvisable
vswrong
3 5.5

Not a good idea because it may cause problems

focuses more on unsuitability itself rather than being unwise
ill-chosen
vswrong
1 6.3

Not right for the situation and likely to seem awkward

applies more widely, including bad timing not just poor choice
inapposite
vswrong
1 9.9

Not suitable for a situation and therefore not important to the topic

covers the same misfit but also highlights inappropriate timing
infelicitous
vswrong
  • Formal
1 9.1

Unsuitable for a situation that makes people feel uncomfortable

is more general, including untimely actions not only awkward ones
unseasonable
vswrong
1 5.9

Happening at a time when it is not right

applies more generally to any unsuitable time or purpose
unfitting
vswrong
5.6

Not suitable for a certain situation or purpose

stresses that unsuitability can include being badly timed
unbefitting
vswrong
  • Formal
7.2

Not suitable for a person or situation

focuses more on unsuitable timing as a key issue

Antonyms

172 1.8

Right for a certain purpose, person, or situation

111 3.0

Happening at the right time to be useful

Idioms

There is a problem with a situation, person, or thing

People who cannot be trusted to use something safely

To become available to people who might use it to harm others

To be in a place where trouble happens by chance

15 6.5

To be wrong about who or what caused something

5 8.3

To support views future people will judge as morally wrong

2 7.3

A time when someone is in a bad mood for no clear reason

1 9.9

So flawed and unclear that people cannot decide if it is true or false

1 9.9

A big mistake that changes your plans or life

The inside of clothing shows on the outside

A way of looking at a situation that makes small details seem more important than the big picture

Compounds

38 2.0

A phone number you call by mistake

wrong crowd
  • Informal
9 5.1

People who make someone behave badly or get in trouble

An understanding of what is right and wrong that guides a person's actions

1 2.3

A food or drink brought to you by mistake instead of what you ordered

civil wrong
  • Specialized
1 8.1

An action or not doing something that harms another person and can lead to a lawsuit for money

Mister Wrong
  • Informal
7.9

A man who is a bad choice for a relationship

The inside of clothing shows on the outside

wrong-site surgery
  • Specialized
7.4

An operation done on the wrong part of the body

wrong 'un
  • Jargon
9.9

A ball bowled to look like a leg break but that turns the other way

wrong 'un
  • Offensive
9.9

A person you cannot trust who often lies or steals

How Appropriate

ideal
203 4.2
appropriate
962 3.5
suitable
172 1.8
wrong
1.0
inappropriate
354 3.7

Surface Forms

wrong positive
wronger comparative
wrongest superlative

Etymology

Wrong originally meant 'bent' or 'not straight', like in wring ('to twist'), and that sense grew into 'not fitting' or 'not suitable'. So if something is the wrong time or place, it simply is not the 'right' one for that moment or purpose.