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What is the difference between right and wrong?

right | wrong |

Wrong is an antonym of right.

Right is an antonym of wrong.


As adjectives the difference between right and wrong

is that right is (archaic) straight, not bent while wrong is incorrect or untrue.

As adverbs the difference between right and wrong

is that right is on the right side or right can be exactly, precisely while wrong is (informal) in a way that isn't right; done incorrectly; wrongly.

As nouns the difference between right and wrong

is that right is that which complies with justice, law or reason while wrong is something that is immoral or not good.

As verbs the difference between right and wrong

is that right is to correct while wrong is to treat unjustly; to injure or harm.

As a interjection right

is yes, that is correct; i agree.

right

English

(re-split by etym)

Alternative forms

* (informal)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) .

Adjective

(er)
  • (archaic) Straight, not bent.
  • a right line
  • Of an angle, having a size of 90 degrees, or one quarter of a complete rotation; the angle between two perpendicular lines.
  • The kitchen counter formed a right angle with the back wall.
  • Complying with justice, correctness or reason; correct, just, true.
  • I thought you'd made a mistake, but it seems you were right all along.
    It's not right that one person gets all the credit for the group's work.
  • * (John Locke)
  • If there be no prospect beyond the grave, the inference is right , "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die."
  • * Bishop Joseph Hall
  • there are some dispositions blame-worthy in men, which are yet, in a right sense, holily ascribed unto God; as unchangeableness, and irrepentance.
  • Appropriate, perfectly suitable; fit for purpose.
  • Is this the right software for my computer?
  • Healthy, sane, competent.
  • I'm afraid my father is no longer in his right mind.
  • Real; veritable.
  • You've made a right mess of the kitchen!
  • * Milton
  • In this battle, the Britons never more plainly manifested themselves to be right barbarians.
  • (Australia) All right; not requiring assistance.
  • * 1986 David Williamson, "What If You Died Tomorrow," Collected plays , Volume 1, Currency Press, p310
  • KIRSTY: I suppose you're hungry. Would you like something to eat? / KEN: No. I'm right , thanks.
  • * 2001 Catherine Menagé, Access to English, National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research, NSW: Sydney, p25
  • When the sales assistant sees the customer, she asks Are you right , sir?'' This means ''Are you all right? She wants to know if he needs any help.
  • * 2001 Morris Gleitzman, Two weeks with the Queen, Pan Macmillan Australia, p75
  • 'You lost?' / Colin spun round. Looking at him was a nurse, her eyebrows raised. / 'No, I'm right , thanks,' said Colin.'
  • (dated) Most favourable or convenient; fortunate.
  • * Spectator
  • The lady has been disappointed on the right side.
  • Designating the side of the body which is positioned to the east if one is facing north. This arrow points to the right: ?
  • After the accident, her right leg was slighly shorter than her left.
  • Designed to be placed or worn outward.
  • the right side of a piece of cloth
  • (politics) Pertaining to the political right; conservative.
  • Synonyms
    * (correctness) correct, just * dexter, dextral, right-hand * (politics) conservative, right-wing * (as a tag question) see
    Antonyms
    * (straightness) bowed, crooked, curved * (correctness) wrong * left
    Derived terms
    * a broken clock is right twice a day * alright, all right * do right by * in one's right mind * it's all right * right angle * right as a trivet * right as rain * right away * rightdom * righteous * right hand * right handed, right-handed * right-hand man * righthood * rightly * right-minded * rightness * right off * right off the bat * right of way * Right Reverend * right triangle * she'll be right

    Adverb

    (-)
  • On the right side.
  • Towards the right side.
  • Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • Yes, that is correct; I agree.
  • I agree with whatever you say; I have no opinion.
  • (non-gloss definition).
  • - After that interview, I don't think we should hire her.
    - Right — who wants lunch?
  • (Used to check agreement at the end of an utterance).
  • You're going, right ?
  • * 1987 , :
  • Withnail: Right ... I'm gonna do the washing up.
    Derived terms
    * yeah right

    Noun

    (wikipedia right) (en noun)
  • That which complies with justice, law or reason.
  • A legal or moral entitlement.
  • * (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) (1772-1834)
  • There are no rights whatever, without corresponding duties.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Michael Arlen), title= “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days, chapter=3/19/2
  • , passage=Ivor had acquired more than a mile of fishing rights with the house?; he was not at all a good fisherman, but one must do something?; one generally, however, banged a ball with a squash-racket against a wall.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-10, volume=408, issue=8848, magazine=(The Economist), author=Schumpeter
  • , title= Cronies and capitols , passage=Policing the relationship between government and business in a free society is difficult. Businesspeople have every right to lobby governments, and civil servants to take jobs in the private sector.}}
  • The right side or direction.
  • (politics) The ensemble of right-wing political parties; political conservatives as a group.
  • The outward or most finished surface, as of a piece of cloth, a carpet, etc.
  • Synonyms
    * (right side) starboard,
    Antonyms
    * (legal or moral entitlement) duty, obligation
    Derived terms
    * bragging rights * human rights * Miranda rights * rightful * right of first refusal * shop right * to the right * two wrongs don't make a right * two wrongs make a right

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) , from riht, from the same ultimate source as Etymology 1, above.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To correct.
  • Righting all the wrongs of the war will be impossible.
  • To set upright.
  • The tow-truck righted what was left of the automobile.
  • To return to normal upright position.
  • When the wind died down, the ship righted .
  • To do justice to; to relieve from wrong; to restore rights to; to assert or regain the rights of.
  • to right the oppressed
  • * Shakespeare
  • So just is God, to right the innocent.
  • * Jefferson
  • All experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
    Derived terms
    * (l) * (l) * (l) * (l)

    Adverb

    (-)
  • Exactly, precisely.
  • *
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage=Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand. We spent consider'ble money getting 'em reset, and then a swordfish got into the pound and tore the nets all to slathers, right in the middle of the squiteague season.}}
  • Very, extremely, quite.
  • *
  • * '>citation
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • * (rfdate) Ann Hite, Ghost on Black Mountain ,
  • The fog was right hard to see through so I was on Tom Pritchard before I saw him.
  • According to fact or truth; actually; truly; really.
  • In a correct manner.
  • To a great extent or degree.
  • *, chapter=13
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=He b'iled right over, and the tongue-lashing he give that boss Right Liver beat anything I ever listened to. There was heap of Scriptur' language in it, and more brimstone than you'd find in a match factory.}}
    Usage notes
    In the US, the word "right" is used as an adverb meaning "very, quite" in most of the major dialect areas, including the Southern US, Appalachia, New England and the Midwest, though the usage is not part of standard US English.
    Synonyms
    * exactly, just, precisely, smack dab
    Derived terms
    * right smart

    Statistics

    *

    wrong

    English

    Adjective

  • Incorrect or untrue.
  • Some of your answers were correct, and some were wrong .
  • * 1592 , (William Shakespeare), Richard III , Act II, Scene I:
  • Among this princely heap, if any here / By false intelligence or wrong surmise / Hold me a foe
  • Asserting something incorrect or untrue.
  • You're wrong : he's not Superman at all.
  • Immoral, not good, bad.
  • It is wrong to lie.
  • Improper; unfit; unsuitable.
  • A bikini is the wrong thing to wear on a cold day.
  • Not working; out of order.
  • Something is wrong with my cellphone .
    Don't cry, honey. Tell me what's wrong .
  • Designed to be worn or placed inward; as, the wrong side of a garment or of a piece of cloth.
  • (obsolete) Twisted; wry.
  • a wrong nose

    Usage notes

    * The single-word comparative and superlative forms wronger and wrongest are no longer in common use, except humorously; rather, the locutions “more wrong” and “most wrong” are preferred. * When wrong is used attributively, before a noun, the noun is usually treated as definite, using the article the; hence, for example, one says, “I dialed the wrong number”, “he gave the wrong answer”, and “she took the wrong approach”, even though there are many possible wrong numbers, answers, and approaches, of which only one was dialed, given, or taken.

    Synonyms

    * injurious * unjust * faulty * detrimental * unfit * unsuitable *

    Derived terms

    * wrength * wrongly * wrongful

    Antonyms

    * right

    Quotations

    * 2007 January 3, Ken Miller, “The Collapse of Intelligent Design: Will the next Monkey Trial be in Ohio?”, Case Western University, Strosacker Auditorium *: that statement is wrong. Now that's not an incidental statement, that is the heart and soul of the Intelligent Design argument, and in this case it turns out to be wrong. Now it's even wronger than that [laughter ] because it turns out that not only do these proteins make up the Type-III Secretory Apparatus but almost every protein in the bacerial flagellum is strongly homologous to proteins that have other functions elsewhere in the cell.

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (informal) In a way that isn't right; done incorrectly; wrongly.
  • I spelled several names wrong in my address book.

    Noun

    (wikipedia wrong) (en noun)
  • Something that is immoral or not good.
  • Injustice is a heinous wrong .
  • An instance of wronging someone (sometimes with possessive to indicate the wrongdoer).
  • * (rfdate) John Dowland:
  • Can she excuse my wrongs with Virtue's cloak? Shall I call her good when she proves unkind?
  • The incorrect or unjust position or opinion.
  • * 1592', , ''Henry VI'', Part III, Act IV, Scene I, line 101. — I blame not her: she could say little less; She had the ' wrong .
  • The opposite of right; the concept of badness.
  • * 1607', , ''Timon of Athens'', Act IV, Scene III, line 28. — Thus much of this will make Black white, foul fair, ' wrong right, Base noble, old young, coward valiant.
  • Synonyms

    * wrength

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To treat unjustly; to injure or harm.
  • * The dealer wronged us by selling us this lemon of a car.
  • * 1591', , ''Henry VI'', Part I, Act II, Scene IV, line 109. — Thou dost then ' wrong me, as that slaughterer doth Which giveth many wounds when one will kill.
  • To deprive of some right, or to withhold some act of justice.
  • * 1597', , ''Henry IV'', Part II, Act IV, Scene I, line 121. — ... And might by no suit gain our audience. When we are ' wrong'd and would unfold our griefs, We are denied access unto his person Even by those men that most have done us wrong.
  • To slander; to impute evil to unjustly.
  • * 1598', , ''Julius Caesar'', Act III, Scene II, line 121. — O masters! if I were dispos'd to stir Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong, Who (you all know) are honorable men. I will not do them wrong; I rather choose To '''wrong''' the dead, to '''wrong''' myself and you, Than I will ' wrong such honorable men.
  • Derived terms

    * awrong * bark up the wrong tree * civil wrong * go down the wrong way * go wrong * in the wrong * * not that there's anything wrong with that * put a foot wrong * rub somebody the wrong way * self-wrong * start off on the wrong foot * two wrongs don't make a right * two wrongs make a right * wrong side of bed * wrong 'un * wrongdoing * wronger * wrong-foot * wrongful * wrongfully * wronghead * wrong-headed * wrongless * wrongly * wrongness * wrong number * wrongous * wrong side of the tracks * wrong side out * wrong-timed * wrong way * wrong-way concurrency

    See also

    * wrong'd * wrung

    Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * 1000 English basic words ----