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
Bummer enough the wretched weather here kept them from returning Sunday night.
—
Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 6 Jan. 2025
Last season the Red Sox blew 31 saves, second most in MLB behind only the wretched White Sox.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 1 Jan. 2025
Ross’ novel approach tells Whitehead’s tale, based on true events, about two young Black men stuck in a wretched juvenile Florida reformatory school, the site of relentless and sometimes fatal abuse.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024
The franchise endured three wretched seasons before emerging as upstarts in 2022 and winning the American League East in 2023.
—The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wretched 
Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 6 Jan. 2025
Last season the Red Sox blew 31 saves, second most in MLB behind only the wretched White Sox.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 1 Jan. 2025
Ross’ novel approach tells Whitehead’s tale, based on true events, about two young Black men stuck in a wretched juvenile Florida reformatory school, the site of relentless and sometimes fatal abuse.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024
The franchise endured three wretched seasons before emerging as upstarts in 2022 and winning the American League East in 2023.
—The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wretched
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretched
Adjective
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Meanwhile the parents had suffered years of horrible harassment and death threats from Jones’ followers.—
Rochelle Eastman,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
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The aerospace business is growing at a fast clip, but the warehouse automation business within the industrial automation unit has been horrible.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Who knew that banning books, paying teachers pitiful salaries and threatening them with jail if they were caught with salacious book titles would be the holy grail of student success?—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2025
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Who knew that banning books, paying teachers pitiful salaries and threatening them with jail if they were caught with salacious book titles would be the holy grail of student success.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But bleak and uncertain as things seem right now, Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred does not want to lose Tampa Bay, the No. 11 media market, which is why the hope is for a deep pocket owner (or owners) from Tampa to emerge and the Tampa stadium plan near Ybor City can be revived.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2025
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Suicide is pretty bleak for a Super Bowl spot, and mental health, in general, is a sensitive topic.—
Matthew Pittman,
The Conversation,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Without education, students with disabilities face higher rates of poverty, unemployment, poor health, and social isolation.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
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This initiative helped avert potential global famines and boosted incomes for poor farmers, particularly in Asia.—
A.J. Russo,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Laviolette puts lines in a blender Clearly unhappy with his team’s effort against Pittsburgh on Friday, Laviolette made drastic changes to his lineup.—
Peter Baugh,
The Athletic,
9 Feb. 2025
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The indie drama follows Diana (Rodriguez), an unhappy teenager who begins training at a boxing gym as a release for her frustrations, only to discover she's got a talent for the sport.—
James Mercadante,
EW.com,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This is due to Emilia Pérez lead Karla Sofía Gascón’s highly offensive and frankly vile tweets unearthed from several years back, which first emerged late last week.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
7 Feb. 2025
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The verdict: Its flavor was nothing short of despicably vile, which made Orly’s nail-biting polish both a gift and a curse along my journey to end my bad habit.—
Jennifer Hussein,
Allure,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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There have been plenty of terrible Oscar hosts over the years but this was a car crash that could easily have been avoided.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
15 Feb. 2025
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Secrets bob to the surface like drowning victims from the deep until nobody — not even the reader — can easily separate the terrible truth from even more terrible fictions.—
M.L. Rio,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Here, 288 Romanian mercenaries who surrendered to M23 are counted and sent back to Europe, a pathetic and dejected lot.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
29 Jan. 2025
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Misery-loves-company is a real thing, pathetic but true.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
20 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near wretched
Cite this Entry
“Wretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretched. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
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