1
as in horrible
extremely unsatisfactory
this report is simply wretched—you'll have to rewrite it
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2
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
a wretched lie
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3
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
lived alone in a wretched room in a run-down hotel
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4
as in poor
falling short of a standard
a wretched attempt at writing an original song
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5
as in unhappy
feeling unhappiness
she was wretched for weeks after breaking up with her boyfriend
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6
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
his wretched treatment of women earned him a bad reputation
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7
as in terrible
of low quality
wretched goods that aren't even worth half of what the store is charging for them
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8
as in pathetic
deserving of one's pity
those wretched souls who cannot even afford a decent roof over their heads
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9
as in miserable
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
the pampered socialite complained that the only room available was in a wretched little motel by the highway
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wretched
That’s good news for drivers who use this wretched thoroughfare and worry that their tires and shocks could not withstand the ruts and ridges of constant travel on a road that looks like it was damaged by mortar fire.
—
Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025
Oppression brings forth its revolutionary others; the wretched come to inherit the earth.
—Siddhartha Deb, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Like DeHaan’s performance, everything in American Primeval gravitates toward the wretched and, yes, the brutal.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2025
Bummer enough the wretched weather here kept them from returning Sunday night.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wretched
Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025
Oppression brings forth its revolutionary others; the wretched come to inherit the earth.
—Siddhartha Deb, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Like DeHaan’s performance, everything in American Primeval gravitates toward the wretched and, yes, the brutal.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2025
Bummer enough the wretched weather here kept them from returning Sunday night.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wretched
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretched
Adjective
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The tech giant had a horrible week, off nearly 11% in the period despite Friday’s relief bounce.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
14 Mar. 2025
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This is really happening and these horrible things are happening and that this person doesn't want to be happening.—
Patrick Gomez,
EW.com,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But the modern Democratic Party, rudderless and confused and reeling from a pitiful collective performance during Tuesday evening's presidential joint address to Congress, now confronts a fork in the road that's no joke.—
Newsweek,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
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My performance was beyond pitiful today, and has been for a while now.—
Ryan Morik,
Fox News,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Even the relatively staid premiere stole a handful of grim chuckles thanks to its guest star’s exceedingly blasé delivery of impossibly bleak news.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
9 Mar. 2025
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Yet if Mickey’s life is suffocatingly bleak, Mickey 17 is anything but.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But there is another concerning trend and area that has to be improved — their poor record on second balls.—
Rob Tanner,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
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Without a clear profit strategy, high sales numbers can mask underlying issues like bloated expenses, poor cash flow, or razor-thin margins.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Rather than panic, consider that software developers are pretty unhappy with the status quo.—
Steve Rodda,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
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Recent polling also suggests that Americans are relatively unhappy with DOGE’s efforts.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Oakland Jewish Alliance, a grassroots organization formed in the wake of these vile acts, has reported over 400 incidents of antisemitic graffiti around the Lake Merritt/Lakeshore neighborhoods in a one-year period.—
Mark Cohen,
The Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2025
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Charlie Kirk is a vile bigot, and standing with him on this issue is profoundly disturbing.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Traditional networks grant access just because a device is on the network, which is a terrible idea.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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Other adults in the room opt to avert their eyes as Jamie disrobes, but Eddie can’t turn away, out of a mix of protectiveness and horrified shock, in the same way that there’s no editor to protect the characters, the actors, or the audience from having to live in each terrible moment of the scene.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Michael Gandolfini pops up as a slimy Fisk mayoral staffer who wouldn’t look out of place in this magazine’s recent cover featuring the new young right, and his playing both pathetic and vaguely sympathetic is very fun to watch.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2025
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How to decide which of these pathetic characters will get his fading masculinity restored?—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretched. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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