Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Unjust or unfair: Describes an action, decision, or situation that is not morally right or equitable.
   • Unlawful; violating legal rights: Describes an act that is illegal or infringes upon someone's legal rights.
   • Having no legal claim or justification: Describes a status or position that is not supported or recognized by law.

Usage Examples

• As an adjective describing an unjust act:
  • The court ruled that his dismissal was wrongful and ordered his reinstatement.
  • She filed a lawsuit for wrongful imprisonment after new evidence proved her innocence.
• As an adjective describing an unlawful violation:
  • The company was sued for the wrongful use of the artist's copyrighted material.
  • A wrongful death lawsuit was brought against the negligent driver.
• As an adjective describing an illegitimate claim:
  • Historians debated whether the king was a wrongful heir to the throne.

Advanced Usage

• "Wrongful termination": A legal term for firing an employee in violation of a law, contract, or public policy.
  • The employee won a case for wrongful termination after being fired for reporting safety violations.
• "Wrongful act": A specific action that constitutes a legal wrong or tort.
  • The insurance policy covers liability for any wrongful act committed by an officer of the company.
• "Wrongful interference": Unlawfully meddling in someone's contractual or business relationships.
  • The competitor was accused of wrongful interference with our client contracts.

Variants and Related Words

• Wrongfully (adverb): In an unjust or unlawful manner.
  • He was wrongfully convicted and spent ten years in prison.
• Wrongfulness (noun): The state or quality of being wrongful.
  • The wrongfulness of the seizure was clear to all observers.

Synonyms

• Unjust: Not based on or behaving according to fairness.
• Unlawful: Not conforming to, permitted by, or recognized by law.
• Illegitimate: Not authorized by the law; not in accordance with accepted standards.

Related Phrases (Legal Context)

• Wrongful death: A claim against a person who can be held liable for a death caused by negligence or an intentional wrongful act.
  • The family sought damages through a wrongful death suit.
• Wrongful dismissal: The termination of an employee's contract without just cause or without following proper procedure (similar to wrongful termination).
  • He received compensation for wrongful dismissal.

Idioms and Common Collocations

• To be in the wrongful: (Less common) To be in a position of having done wrong or being at fault. (Note: "In the wrong" is the more standard idiom).
  • The investigation proved that the company was in the wrongful for concealing the data breach.
• Wrongful accusation/charge: An allegation or criminal charge that is false and unjust.
  • He fought to clear his name after the wrongful accusation.

Adjective

1. not just or fair
   • a wrongful act
   • a wrongful charge
2. unlawfully violating the rights of others
   • wrongful death
   • a wrongful diversion of trust income
3. having no legally established claim
   • the wrongful heir to the throne