wretched

American  

[rech-id] / ˈrɛtʃ ɪd /

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.

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wretched British  

/ 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

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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

Related Words

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