wrought
2 of 2past tense and past participle of work
Did you know?
The Uses of Wrought
Wrought may function as the past or the past participle form of the verb work. While not as common as it once was, this past-tense form still is encountered in such combinations as "wrought havoc." Since "wreak havoc" is also a familiar pairing, many people assume that wrought is the past tense of wreak, but the two are actually distinct. Although it still exists as a verb, wrought is more often used today as an adjective, a role in which it has a number of meanings. Most of these are found referring to things or materials which have been in some way worked by people (as in wrought iron or "carefully wrought prose"), but one sense ("deeply stirred") is typically used in describing emotions. When employed in this sense, wrought is often found paired with up (as in "he found himself wrought up over the news").
Examples of wrought in a Sentence
Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
Follow shaded flagstone paths past quiet nooks ringed with wrought iron benches and walls of greenery.
—Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025
The steps to the quaint K-8 campus were left standing, along with the sign on the wrought iron gate.
—Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Only a few wrought iron fences and chimneys remained standing.
—Matteo Moschella, NBC News, 12 Jan. 2025
After the original, there was a 400-pound ball created that was made of wrought iron.
—Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 27 Dec. 2023
The architects deliberately attempted to differentiate each house: Some had terraces, others would have columns or frescoes or bas-relief figures, and the gates leading to the garden had unique constellations of wrought iron.
.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 2 Aug. 2024
The railings on the staircase and the merchandise racks were created from wrought iron crafted by an Italian artisan and are intended to be reminiscent of provencal buildings.
—Jean E. Palmieri, WWD, 18 Oct. 2024
All of the medals from the Paris Games also feature an 18-gram, hexagonal piece of wrought iron from the Eiffel Tower.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Wrought.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrought. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share