Meaning & use
the wrong message
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Something you say or do that people understand as meaning the opposite of what you intend.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase after verbs like send, give, or convey: The ad sends the wrong message.
Patterns
- send the wrong message
- give the wrong message
- the wrong message about something
- the wrong message to someone
By laughing at his joke, the teacher sent the wrong message to the class.
Canceling the meeting at the last minute gives the wrong message about how much we value the project.
She meant to be kind, but her comment sent the wrong message.
phrasefixed phrase
A piece of information that leads people to a false or harmful conclusion.
Grammar: Often used with verbs like get, receive, or take: We got the wrong message from the headline.
Patterns
- get the wrong message
- receive the wrong message
- take the wrong message from something
Viewers got the wrong message from the short clip and thought the drug was safe.
I think you took the wrong message from my email; I was not criticizing you.
The chart gives the wrong message because the numbers are out of date.
Common combinations
- send the wrong message
- Wearing jeans to the interview might send the wrong message.
- give the wrong message
- The empty seats gave the wrong message about the event's popularity.
- the wrong message to children
- Violent cartoons send the wrong message to children.
- get the wrong message
- Some readers got the wrong message and thought the study was finished.
- convey the wrong message
- A vague slogan can convey the wrong message to customers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mislead
- This is a verb meaning to cause someone to believe something false; 'the wrong message' is the thing that does the misleading.
- mixed message
- A mixed message is confusing because it contains two opposite ideas, while the wrong message is clearly understood but is the opposite of what you wanted.
- bad signal
- A bad signal is similar, but it is more often used in business and politics about what an action suggests to observers.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: the wrong message or bad news?
the wrong message vs bad news
'Bad news' means unpleasant information about an event, while 'the wrong message' is about how an action or statement is understood, not the facts themselves.
Practice
The company's decision to close the factory early ___ the wrong message to its workers.
Choose one answer.
'Sent the wrong message' means the company's action was understood in a negative way by the workers. 'Took' and 'got' describe the receiver's side, so they do not fit here because the company is the one acting.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the wrong message”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.