wretched

adjective

wretch·​ed ˈre-chəd 

1

: deeply afflicted, dejected, or distressed in body or mind

2

: extremely or deplorably bad or distressing

was in wretched health

a wretched accident

3

a

: being or appearing mean, miserable, or contemptible

dressed in wretched old clothes

b

: very poor in quality or ability : inferior

wretched workmanship

wretchedly adverb

wretchedness noun

Synonyms

• atrocious
• awful
• dismal
• execrable
• horrible
• lousy
• punk
• rotten
• sucky [slang]
• terrible

Examples of wretched in a Sentence

The slums were filled with poor, wretched children.

I don't know what's wrong with her, but she looks wretched.

families living in wretched poverty

the wretched conditions of the refugee camp

How did we get into this wretched state of affairs?

What a wretched performance that was.

That movie was positively wretched.

Recent Examples on the Web

Star Wars Outlaws Welcome to a wretched hive of scum and villainy. —Richard Newby, TIME, 5 Dec. 2024

That’s the shame of ruining what could have been the kind of win that happens once in a blue moon after a wretched first half when the offense totaled only two first downs and the Lions held a 16-0 lead and a 279-53 advantage in yardage. —Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 29 Nov. 2024

Under these wretched circumstances, the world shrank to my bedroom. —Esmé Weijun Wang, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2024

He’s asked to rattle off a long, wretched list of brutal injuries. —Brendan Quinn, The Athletic, 6 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English wrecched, expansion (with -ed -ed entry 1) of wrecche, adjective, in same sense, going back to Old English wrecc, derivative from the base of wræcca, wrecce "exile, stranger, despicable person" — more at wretch

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wretched

adjective

wretch·​ed ˈrech-əd 

1

: very miserable or unhappy

2

: causing misery or distress

that wretched accident

3

: deserving of hatred or disgust

a wretched trick

4

: very poor in quality or ability

wretched work

wretchedly adverb

wretchedness noun