Word
wrongfully
Phoneticswrong·ful·ly
US/ˈɹɔŋfəɫi/
UK/ɹˈɒŋfəli/
Definition
adv. in a way that is not fair, legal, or correct. You use this when someone is treated badly or punished for something they did not do.
adv. in a manner that is unjust, illegal, or incorrect. Often used to describe the unjust treatment of a person or the improper application of a rule.
Examples
“He was wrongfully accused of stealing the money.”
“The employee was wrongfully fired for a mistake that was actually the manager's fault.”
“The legal team argued that the defendant was wrongfully detained for over a month without any formal charges being filed by the authorities.”
Examples
simple
“He was wrongfully accused of stealing the money.”
contextual
“The employee was wrongfully fired for a mistake that was actually the manager's fault.”
complex
“The legal team argued that the defendant was wrongfully detained for over a month without any formal charges being filed by the authorities.”
Real-World Examples
“First, as property, legal history shows that kisses were often viewed as something that belonged to a person and could either be given or wrongfully taken, Torrance said.” Etymology
From Middle English wrongfully, wrongfullich; equivalent to wrongful + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/wrongfully