wretched

[rech-id]

adjective

wretcheder, wretchedest 

1. very unfortunate in condition or circumstances; miserable; pitiable.

   Synonyms: unhappy, forlorn, woebegone, woeful, distressed, dejected

2. characterized by or attended with misery and sorrow.

3. despicable, contemptible, or mean.

   a wretched miser.

   Synonyms: vile, base

4. poor, sorry, or pitiful; worthless.

   a wretched job of sewing.

wretched

/ ˈrɛtʃɪd /

adjective

1. in poor or pitiful circumstances

2. characterized by or causing misery

3. despicable; base

4. poor, inferior, or paltry

5. (prenominal) (intensifier qualifying something undesirable)

   a wretched nuisance

Other Word Forms

• wretchedly adverb
• wretchedness noun
• unwretched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wretched¹

First recorded in 1150–1200, wretched is from the Middle English word wrecchede. See wretch, -ed ³

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Potter won only six of his 25 matches in charge since succeeding Julen Lopetegui, his low-key personality never winning favour with West Ham's demanding fans and his plight worsened by wretched results.

Read more on BBC

It’s unclear if the happy couple recalls their wretched experiences in Borderland, but their sights are trained on the future as they mull over baby names.

Read more on Salon

The headline-grabbiest passage is Harris’ suggestion that Biden, felled by a thoroughly wretched debate performance that showed the ravages of his advanced age, should have stepped aside before being effectively forced off the Democratic ticket.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Because of poor luck and judgement, Cleveland have had a wretched run with quarterbacks over the past few seasons so are desperate to find a solution.

Read more on BBC

An Eagle Rock woman wrote in The Times that the killer “has made us all wretched” with fear, and reported a conversation between a grocery store customer and a clerk:

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abject 
• deplorable 
• depressed 
• despicable 
• forlorn 
• gloomy 
• hopeless 
• miserable 
• pathetic 
• pitiful 
• tragic 
• woeful