Definition

The condition of having ideas or beliefs that are misguided or incorrect.

Example

His wrongheadedness led him to make poor decisions that affected the entire team.

Conversation

I was thinking about that debate we had last week.

Yeah, it got pretty heated, didn't it?

Definitely! I feel like some of our arguments were just based on wrongheadedness rather than facts.

I agree; we should focus more on understanding each other next time.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Wrongheadedness → It is formed from "wrong" (from Old English *wrang*, meaning incorrect or unjust) and "headed" (from "head" meaning the part of the body that contains the brain, often used metaphorically to indicate a way of thinking) and "-ness" (a suffix used to form nouns indicating a state or condition). The word "wrongheadedness" refers to the state of having a misguided or incorrect way of thinking.

Memory Tip

Think of 'wrong' meaning incorrect and 'headed' relating to one's way of thinking — this helps you remember that 'wrongheadedness' describes a state of thinking incorrectly.

Visually Confused Words