wrongful

wrongful — adjective

1. Describing an action that is against the law or that violates someone's legal ri

1.形容詞B2
釋義

Describing an action that is against the law or that violates someone's legal rights — for example, firing a worker for a reason that is not legally acceptable, or taking property that does not belong to you.

例句

The court ruled that the worker's dismissal was wrongful and ordered compensation.

attributive noun pattern: wrongful dismissal

Liang spent two years in prison before a higher court overturned his wrongful conviction.

common legal collocation: wrongful conviction

同義詞
  • unlawful

    Directly interchangeable in legal contexts; 'unlawful' is more strictly about breaking written law.

  • illegal

    Broader and more common in everyday speech; 'illegal' applies to anything prohibited by law.

  • unjustified

    Focuses on lack of a valid reason rather than violation of a specific law.

反義詞
  • lawful

    The direct opposite in legal contexts.

  • justified

    Opposite in the sense of having a valid basis.

文法句型

wrongful + noun (dismissal, arrest, conviction, death)

用法筆記

Most commonly found in legal expressions such as 'wrongful dismissal,' 'wrongful arrest,' 'wrongful conviction,' and 'wrongful death.' Almost always appears directly before a noun.

常見錯誤

❌You are wrongful about that.
✅You are wrong about that.
💡'Wrongful' describes actions (dismissal, arrest), not people or opinions. 'Wrong' is the correct adjective for being incorrect.

2. Describing an action that is not morally right or fair, even though it may not b

2.形容詞B2
釋義

Describing an action that is not morally right or fair, even though it may not break any specific law — for example, blaming an innocent person for something they did not do, or punishing someone too harshly for a small mistake.

例句

Mira felt the blame was wrongful because she had played no part in the decision.

moral context: blame considered wrongful

The teacher felt it was wrongful to punish the entire class for one student's mistake.

pattern: subject + feel + it was wrongful to + verb

同義詞
  • unjust

    Very close in meaning; 'unjust' more directly suggests a violation of fairness or justice.

  • unfair

    More common in everyday English; 'unfair' is less formal and less severe in tone.

  • immoral

    Stronger moral judgment; 'immoral' suggests violation of ethical principles rather than simply being unfair.

反義詞
  • fair

    The everyday opposite; 'fair' describes treatment that is reasonable and just.

  • just

    More formal than 'fair'; 'just' suggests alignment with principles of justice.

文法句型

wrongful + noun (blame, punishment, accusation)

用法筆記

Distinguish from Sense 1 ('UNLAWFUL'): this sense focuses on moral or ethical unfairness, not on whether the action breaks a law. The same action could be wrongful in this sense yet still be fully legal.

常見錯誤

❌I got a wrongful answer on the test.
✅I got a wrong answer on the test.
💡'Wrongful' is not used for incorrect facts, answers, or statements. Use 'wrong' for those.