an incorrect decision

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "an incorrect decision" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when discussing a choice or judgment that is deemed wrong or misguided. Example: "After reviewing the evidence, it became clear that the committee had made an incorrect decision regarding the funding allocation."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

39 human-written examples

And again, it was an incorrect decision.

The Guardian - Sport

"There's certainly a chance you would make an incorrect decision".

The New York Times

How should the law deal with smart devices, if an incorrect decision is acted on, who or what is responsible?

The Guardian

Normally it's possible to imagine why an incorrect decision was been reached, but this was truly incomprehensible.

The Guardian - Sport

The delays are causing particular hardship to separated families where the Home Office has made an incorrect decision: the appeal success rate in such cases is 40%.

The Guardian

Joubert awarded the Wallabies a penalty, which was later proved to be an incorrect decision, with 43 seconds of the match left.

The Guardian - Sport

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

20 human-written examples

This bound shows that the probability of making a incorrect decision using this method decreases quickly as the value of \(m\) increases – e.g. if \(p = \frac{3}{4}\) and \(\varepsilon =.00001\), then \ 92\) applications will be sufficient and if \(\varepsilon = 1.0 \times 10^{-10}\ 10^{-10}\5 applicathens will be sufficient.

SEP

Apart from that, he made an earlier incorrect decision against Younis Khan, and allowed Marcus Trescothick to escape a short-leg catch when on 100.

The Guardian - Sport

"It's a grossly incorrect decision," Stevens said.

The New Yorker

The appeals court majority, in a manifestly incorrect decision, said that the government's dubious and uncorroborated intelligence report about Mr. Latif had to be treated as reliable and accurate, like official tax receipts, unless there was "clear evidence to the contrary" — shifting the burden of proof to the detainee.

The New York Times

That's always a mathematically incorrect decision.

WikiHow

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "an incorrect decision" when you want to specifically highlight that the decision made was factually wrong, rather than simply unfavorable or unpopular.

Common error

Avoid using "an incorrect decision" when you mean a decision that was simply unwise or had unintended negative consequences. "Incorrect" implies a factual error, while "unwise" suggests poor judgment based on available information.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "an incorrect decision" functions as a noun phrase, typically serving as the object of a verb or the subject of a sentence. As confirmed by Ludwig, the phrase is grammatically correct and readily usable in English.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

39%

Science

39%

Formal & Business

9%

Less common in

Wiki

4%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "an incorrect decision" is a commonly used and grammatically sound noun phrase that serves to categorize a decision as flawed. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it is appropriate for use across diverse contexts, including news, science, and business. While generally neutral in tone, it's important to differentiate it from "unwise" decisions, as "incorrect" specifically implies a factual error. When writing, be precise about the source and contributing factors of the decision to enhance clarity. Alternatives like "a wrong choice" or "a flawed judgment" can be used to add variety while maintaining similar semantic meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a wrong choice

Replaces 'decision' with 'choice', emphasizing the selection aspect.

a flawed judgment

Substitutes 'decision' with 'judgment', highlighting the evaluative aspect.

an erroneous determination

Uses more formal vocabulary, replacing 'incorrect' with 'erroneous' and 'decision' with 'determination'.

a mistaken assessment

Emphasizes the evaluation process that led to the error.

an inaccurate conclusion

Focuses on the final result being untrue or imprecise.

a misguided action

Shifts the focus from the decision-making process to the resulting action.

a faulty conclusion

Similar to 'inaccurate conclusion', but implies a defect in reasoning.

an unsound verdict

Replaces 'decision' with 'verdict', which is typically reserved for legal contexts but can imply any firm conclusion.

a poor call

Uses more informal language to express a bad decision.

a blunder in judgment

Highlights the severity of the mistake made in judging a situation.

FAQs

How can I use "an incorrect decision" in a sentence?

You can use "an incorrect decision" to describe a situation where a judgment or choice was based on flawed information or reasoning, leading to an undesirable outcome. For example, "The company made "an incorrect decision" when it chose to ignore the market research data."

What are some alternatives to saying "an incorrect decision"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives such as "a wrong choice", "a flawed judgment", or "a mistaken assessment".

Is it better to say "incorrect decision" or "wrong decision"?

"Incorrect decision" and "wrong decision" are often interchangeable, but "incorrect" implies a factual error, while "wrong" can also refer to a moral or ethical issue. Choose the word that best fits the specific context.

What's the difference between "an incorrect decision" and "a poor decision"?

"An incorrect decision" suggests that the decision was based on wrong information or reasoning. A "poor decision", on the other hand, might have been made with correct information but still resulted in a negative outcome due to other factors.