wrongheaded
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- wrongheadedly adverb
- wrongheadedness noun
Etymology
Origin of wrongheaded
Explanation
Something that's wrongheaded is foolish, misguided, and stubborn. A wrongheaded politician might run for president despite polls showing there's no way he can win. A wrongheaded entrepreneur may go ahead with her plans to open an ice cream shop for dogs despite being advised not to by everyone she knows. You might feel angry about a judge's wrongheaded decision in an important court case. Anyone who uses bad judgement is wrongheaded, especially when the mistake seems obvious. The adjective wrongheaded has been around since the 1730's.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This distinguishes it unfavorably from the traditional western, which, however reductive or politically wrongheaded, has always known how to keep an audience interested.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
So I had very definite feelings about it, and I thought it was wrongheaded and really somewhat shameful of the academy to do that.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026
But those were nothing next to the most wrongheaded move in recent Emmys history: the penalizing charity counter.
From Salon • Sep. 15, 2025
Worrying about A.I. safety isn’t wrongheaded, but the doomers’ path to notability has insiders raising eyebrows.
From Slate • Nov. 14, 2023
Grampa sounded so wrongheaded, I couldn’t believe it Maybe some of what Dad was always spouting about equality and the American dream had rubbed off on me.
From "Mississippi Trial, 1955" by Chris Crowe
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
