wretch
Americannoun
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a deplorably unfortunate or unhappy person.
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a person of despicable or base character.
noun
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a despicable person
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a person pitied for his misfortune
Etymology
Origin of wretch
before 900; Middle English wrecche, Old English wrecca exile, adventurer; cognate with German Recke warrior, hero, Old Norse rekkr man
Explanation
A wretch is someone who is so miserable and unlucky that you almost have to feel sorry for the person. You might pity the poor wretch who was fired at work over something that wasn’t even his fault. Wretch traces back to the Old English word wrecca, meaning “banished person” — so no wonder a wretch is so unhappy! A wretch is in such a bad situation that a sense of pity typically goes along with the word, and you’ll often see the terms “poor wretch” or “unfortunate wretch.” Wretch can also be used more informally to describe someone who’s wicked or hateful, like that ungrateful wretch who complained to the boss when you brought snacks to work.
Vocabulary lists containing wretch
A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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Anthem
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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.
If Zabka weren’t so charming, we couldn’t have bought the proposition that an ignorant wretch like Johnny could be redeemable.
From Salon • Feb. 13, 2025
You know, the one where “The wretch, concentred all in self / Living, shall forfeit fair renown”?
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2023
She opposed what she described as a "Western perception that the African female is a downtrodden wretch".
From BBC • May 31, 2023
His Harry is in some ways the flip side of Smike, the poor mangled wretch he played in “The Life & Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby” in the early 1980s.
From New York Times • Apr. 21, 2022
Like as not, I’ll never see the wretch again, he thought bitterly, but even so the chance had to be taken.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
