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wrongful

wrongful

59 4.6
Not allowed by law or not fair to others
  • adjective
  • /ˈrɔŋfəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ilícito
  • Take comfort in the fact that 70 to 80% of wrongful convictions are the direct result of eyewitness testimony.
  • a wrongful act
  • wrongful death
  • wrongful dismissal

Another one is called the Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act.

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Examples

  • Fred Temple's family sued the city of Detroit for wrongful death.

  • I want to report a wrongful arrest.

  • Is this about your wrongful termination case?

  • I'll sue your ass for wrongful prosecution.

  • The next question authorities are asking is, "How did this happen, and how much will Davis settle with the state for the wrongful conviction?"

  • And I just find the way to be better than the accusation, the experience, the wrongful conviction.

  • Mostly tenants' rights stuff, wrongful evictions.

  • I plan to bring a wrongful termination suit against Charles Wheeler and his partners.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Racial segregation was not merely wrongful in the abstract; it was a wrong inflicted upon African Americans.

    Academic text (2017)
  • I want to report a wrongful arrest.

Synonyms

unfair
vswrongful
497 1.0

Not treating people the same or following the rules

adds legal or moral wrongness beyond unequal treatment
unlawful
vswrongful
71 4.0

Not allowed by law

also covers unfair or immoral acts that may not be illegal
unjust
vswrongful
70 4.0

Not fair and not right

also includes legal prohibition or lack of official authorization
illegitimate
vswrongful
  • Formal
31 6.1

Not allowed by law

additionally covers moral wrongness as well as lack of legal status
unwarranted
vswrongful
31 7.0

Not having a good reason or official permission

includes that lack of permission but also moral unfairness or illegality
unjustified
vswrongful
19 4.8

Not having a good reason for something

is wider, also referring to moral or legal lack of authority
unjustifiable
vswrongful
5 6.8

You cannot show it is right or acceptable

is broader, including moral or legal wrongness beyond lack of justification
inequitable
vswrongful
4 8.0

Not fair when people or groups do not get the same treatment

is broader, covering moral and legal wrongs beyond mere inequality
unmerited
vswrongful
1 7.6

Not deserved because there is no good reason

goes beyond mere lack of merit to include moral or legal wrongs
lowdown
vswrongful
  • Offensive
7.4

Mean and unfair in a way that hurts others

focuses more generally on unfairness, morality, or legal lack of authority

Antonyms

lawful
  • Formal
82 2.9

Allowed by the law

9 1.1

Fair and morally right

Compounds

23 7.2

A death caused by another person's illegal or careless action that allows the family to sue

1 7.0

Actions that break the law or are unfair

How Wrongful

egregious
58 8.9
illegal
1.0
wrongful
  • Specialized
59 4.6
unjust
70 4.0

Surface Forms

wrongful positive

Morphology

wrongful = wrong (transparent) = wrong + ful

Formed by the common adjective 'wrong' plus the productive adjectival suffix '-ful'; the meaning 'characterized by wrongness or illegal/unjust' is a regular derivation.

Etymology

Wrongful is built from wrong and -ful. wrong once meant 'not right', and -ful means 'full of', so wrongful literally means 'full of wrong', which is why it describes something unfair, morally wrong, or not allowed by law.