wretched
Americanadjective
-
very unfortunate in condition or circumstances; miserable; pitiable.
-
characterized by or attended with misery and sorrow.
-
despicable, contemptible, or mean.
a wretched miser.
-
poor, sorry, or pitiful; worthless.
a wretched job of sewing.
adjective
-
in poor or pitiful circumstances
-
characterized by or causing misery
-
despicable; base
-
poor, inferior, or paltry
-
(prenominal) (intensifier qualifying something undesirable)
a wretched nuisance
Related Words
Wretched, miserable, sorry refer to that which is unhappy, afflicted, or distressed. Wretched refers to a condition of extreme affliction or distress, especially as outwardly apparent: wretched hovels. Miserable refers more to the inward feeling of unhappiness or distress: a miserable life. Sorry applies to distressed, often poverty-stricken outward circumstances; but it has connotations of unworthiness, incongruousness, or the like, so that the beholder feels more contempt than pity: in a sorry plight.
Other Word Forms
- unwretched adjective
- wretchedly adverb
- wretchedness noun
Etymology
Origin of wretched
First recorded in 1150–1200, wretched is from the Middle English word wrecchede. See wretch, -ed 3
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.
That wretched form is unlikely to improve anytime soon with United hosting Manchester City next weekend before travelling to Premier League leaders Arsenal on January 25.
From Barron's
But the bizarre gaffe by the Dane sparked outrage from Tottenham fans on social media, leaving Frank with more awkward questions to answer following the latest wretched result of his troubled reign.
From Barron's
Most noteworthy perhaps is that Rohl has built that run with the same group who were widely condemned during the wretched reign of Russell Martin.
From BBC
West Ham, who won a European trophy as recently as 2023, have had a wretched campaign, but their fans would have been hoping for some late presents with an attractive post-Christmas fixture list.
From BBC
For powerhouses Toulouse it was the continuation of a wretched run of results in Catalonia against their much less-fancied opponents.
From Barron's
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.
