What does "wretched" mean?
Characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable.
Wretched
/ˈɹɛt͡ʃɪd/ adj, slang
adj, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable.
- Grammar: wretched is listed as adj, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: deplorable, despicable, miserable, pitiful.
- Useful contrasts: admirable, admiration, approval.
- Usage evidence: The family lived a wretched life during the war.
How to use "wretched"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wretched" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "wretched" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "wretched" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "wretched" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "wretched" is acting as adj, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "deplorable" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "wretched", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable.
"I felt wretched after my wife died."
- 2 Of an inferior or unworthy nature or social status; contemptible, lowly.
"The street was full of wretched beggars dressed in rags."
- 3 Of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature; miserable, paltry, worthless.
"All those wretched quarrels, in his humble opinion, stirring up bad blood – bump of combativeness or gland of some kind, erroneously supposed to be about a punctilio of honour and a flag, – were very largely a question of the money question which was at the back of everything, greed and jealousy, people never knowing when to stop."
- 4 Of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner causing contempt; base, despicable, wicked.
"But a Devil came in juſt in the God-ſpeed, and told them; Gentlemen Philoſophers, (ſays he) if you vvould knovv the VVretched'ſt, and moſt contemptible thing in the VVorld; It is an Alchymiſt: […]"
- 5 Of weather: causing much discomfort; very unpleasant; miserable.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Used to express annoyance towards or dislike of someone or something: bloody, damned. informal
"Will you please stop playing that wretched trombone!"
Adjective
- 1 characterized by physical misery wordnet
- 2 deserving or inciting pity wordnet
- 3 morally reprehensible wordnet
- 4 very unhappy; full of misery wordnet
- 5 of very poor quality or condition wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"The family lived a wretched life during the war."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "wretched"?
Common synonyms include: deplorable, despicable, miserable, pitiful, vile, abject.
How do you use "wretched" in a sentence?
The family lived a wretched life during the war.
How do you pronounce "wretched"?
Pronounced /ˈɹɛt͡ʃɪd/.
Etymology
From Middle English wrecched (“(adjective) characterized by or suffering hardship or misfortune, miserable, unfortunate, unhappy; indigent, poor; of low economic or social status, lowly; (noun) miserable person”) [and other forms], from wrecche (“characterized by or suffering hardship or misfortune, miserable, unfortunate, unhappy; indigent, poor; of low economic or social status, lowly; base, contemptible, vile; reprehensible, wicked; miserly, stingy; of little importance, paltry, worthless”) (from Late Old English wrecc, from Old English wreċċa (“an exile, outcast”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“to follow, track; to hunt”)) + -ed (suffix forming adjectives). The English word is analysable as wretch (“(obsolete) wretched”, adjective) + -ed (suffix forming adjectives).