as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
the clerk was an ungrateful wretch who stole money from his employer's cash register
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Recent Examples of wretch
The wretch in question has cut down one of the speaker’s spruce trees without his permission.
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Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2023
Had this poor wretch been well supplied with friends and money the result, as in numerous other instances, might have been different.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2023
Or would a wretch like me be saved by His amazing grace?
—Damon Young, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022
The song's lyrics also leave no topic off limits, touching on all that made the band wonder and wretch, with a tongue-in-cheek approach.
—Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 12 May 2022
Washington Park neighborhood was torched by some ungrateful wretch just hours after a crowd of about 200 kids and adults lit the tree and enjoyed a night of caroling in the grassy median at Martin Luther King Drive and Garfield Boulevard.
—Rex Huppke, chicagotribune.com, 10 Dec. 2021
Ji Seong-ho is a street kid, a homeless kid, a wretch.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 4 May 2020
While many superhero shows continue to traffic in one-dimensional super villains, the sophisticated dramas give us more ambiguous wretches.
—Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2018
Smart security services may see, on smart video, that their populations get restive—but that doesn’t mean the wretches actually stop.
—Bruce Sterling, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2018
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2023
Had this poor wretch been well supplied with friends and money the result, as in numerous other instances, might have been different.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2023
Or would a wretch like me be saved by His amazing grace?
—Damon Young, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022
The song's lyrics also leave no topic off limits, touching on all that made the band wonder and wretch, with a tongue-in-cheek approach.
—Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 12 May 2022
Washington Park neighborhood was torched by some ungrateful wretch just hours after a crowd of about 200 kids and adults lit the tree and enjoyed a night of caroling in the grassy median at Martin Luther King Drive and Garfield Boulevard.
—Rex Huppke, chicagotribune.com, 10 Dec. 2021
Ji Seong-ho is a street kid, a homeless kid, a wretch.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 4 May 2020
While many superhero shows continue to traffic in one-dimensional super villains, the sophisticated dramas give us more ambiguous wretches.
—Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2018
Smart security services may see, on smart video, that their populations get restive—but that doesn’t mean the wretches actually stop.
—Bruce Sterling, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretch
Noun
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Here the villain isn't a person but an incredibly advanced AI with the power to destabilize the world.Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
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Irrational self-belief is one of the reasons villains deeply resonate across culture, says Kevin Wynter, a professor of media studies at Pomona College.Jason Parham, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Others claim that the brute was named either for a popular near beer or for a Sunday comic strip about monkeys.Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 17 Nov. 2024
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When searching for reprieve, there’s sanctuary in a movie musical that looks like a Broadway smash, a Colosseum full of vintage brutes, a Harry Styles simile.Raven Smith, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The Giannis Antetokounmpo show was in full effect, as the Greek Freak put up a monster performance with 32 points and 14 rebounds.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
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Players play through 10 quests battling monsters, discovering treasure and avoiding traps in the cassic style of game play.Rob Wieland, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2023
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Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Jan. 2023
Noun
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Sipping whiskey, a wise devil offers: Advice love, giant love, self love, superstar love, dumb love, trouble love?Jennifer Harlan, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024
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People gather expectantly on the streets or gaze from their windows, and then the performers arrive, all garbed in red devil costumes, complete with horns and pitchforks covered in sparkling fireworks.Matt Ralphs, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Murder on Music Row, an investigative podcast from The Tennessean, focuses on the 1989 murder of country music chart director Kevin Hughes, who tried to operate with integrity in a business full of sharks and criminals.Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
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A lot of criminals when confronted with the potential of being bitten by a police canine immediately surrender.Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Nothing more unlovely inhabits the Venetian lagoon, and there’s the rub: the beast is notably loyal to that neighborhood.Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
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How much were humans to blame for driving these beasts to extinction?Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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That this once-relevant scoundrel's fall from something like grace uplifts so many is a testament to the joy to be found in seeing a cocky operator get his overdue comeuppance.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
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Learning his real father is a world class scoundrel and creep probably was not very fun.Brian Grubb, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
Articles Related to wretch
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Cite this Entry
“Wretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretch. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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