# incorrect

/ˌɪnkɝˈɛkt/ (US) · /ɪnkəɹˈɛkt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/incorrect
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. factually wrong

adjective · CEFR A2

not right or not true; containing a mistake.

For teachers: not in accordance with fact or truth; erroneous.

- The teacher marked the answer as incorrect because the math was wrong.
- The initial report was based on incorrect data, leading the committee to reach a conclusion that was later thoroughly debunked.

### 2. socially improper

adjective · CEFR B2 · Formal

not suitable or not acceptable for a particular social situation.

For teachers: not in accordance with accepted standards of behavior or social convention.

- It is considered incorrect to wear casual clothes to such a formal wedding.
- His comments were deemed politically incorrect, sparking a heated debate about the boundaries of professional discourse in the modern workplace.

### 3. faulty or defective

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

not working properly or not made the right way.

For teachers: exhibiting a fault or defect in construction or function.

- The machine stopped working because of an incorrect setting in the software.
- The structural failure was eventually traced back to an incorrect assembly of the primary support beams during the construction phase.

## Examples

- The information in the report is incorrect.
- The system rejected my password because I entered an incorrect character by mistake.
- The researcher's initial hypothesis proved incorrect after the longitudinal study revealed that the variables were influenced by external environmental factors rather than internal biological ones.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.