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
The club have endured a truly wretched season, despite winning a trophy and remaining unbeaten against city neighbours Inter.
—
Emmet Gates, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Roaches and a wretched food truck inspection lowlight this week’s list of South Florida restaurants shut down by state inspection.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 May 2025
Twain’s wife, Olivia Langdon, bore him four children, only one of whom escaped a wretched end.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025
This made sense given the unit’s wretched 2024 and the dismissal of longtime defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
—Paul Dehner Jr., New York Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wretched
Emmet Gates, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Roaches and a wretched food truck inspection lowlight this week’s list of South Florida restaurants shut down by state inspection.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 May 2025
Twain’s wife, Olivia Langdon, bore him four children, only one of whom escaped a wretched end.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025
This made sense given the unit’s wretched 2024 and the dismissal of longtime defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
—Paul Dehner Jr., New York Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wretched
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wretched
Adjective
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Even with the horrible start the Red Sox still nearly came all the way back, twice drawing to within one run, but the club couldn’t get over the hump.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2025
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We were made aware of this horrible activity by Priscilla Olivarez from ILRC, at our annual conference Convening 2025, held in San Antonio.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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The pitiful performance by the Texas Rangers against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2016 divisional round.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 May 2025
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But the rates were pitiful: $9.87 for a 13-mile trip, $19.97 for a 25-mile trip and so on.—
Eli Tan,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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At the same time, others who attended this year’s California Democratic Party Convention dismissed any notion that the future of the Democratic Party is bleak.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
31 May 2025
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The early options on the GOP side are bleak: Neither Donalds nor Casey DeSantis, the governor’s wife who’s said to be interested in succeeding him, is the moderate Florida so desperately needs now.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Job Corps, established in 1964, provides education and vocational training to disadvantaged youth but has been criticized by the Labor Department for poor outcomes and safety issues.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
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Meanwhile, African roads are broadly in a poor state, with only 818,000 km of them paved.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Reports suggested that Daltrey was unhappy with Starkey’s playing on the night, and a number of songs were cut short.—
Thomas Smith,
Billboard,
29 May 2025
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Netflix In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, Ortega revealed that the massive success following 'Wednesday' actually left her unhappy.—
Jeremy Hanna,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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Finally, the mint julep is a vile almost undrinkable beverage.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2025
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Along with receiving vulgar comments in person and people taking her picture on campus, the 18-year-old has received vile and sexist messages after her phone number was posted online.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Kids these days have attention spans crushed under the terrible weight of TikTok and Instgram.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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The veto was a terrible blow to the cause of reparations, which has been gaining momentum across the country despite the Trump administration, which seems hell-bent on sending America backwards.—
Robert Turner,
Baltimore Sun,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Anyone who tells you different is a liar (and pathetic, and alone in life).—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2025
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The politicized fantasy and horror films by Ryan Coogler and Jordan Peele are merely pathetic.—
Armond White,
National Review,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wretched. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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