Standard Lemma guide

wretched

adj · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛt͡ʃɪd/
  • General-American: /ˈɹɛt͡ʃəd/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: R EH1 CH IH0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I felt wretched after my wife died.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dejected, wretchful, atrabiliary, atrabilious, deplorable, depressing, distressing, grievous, heartbreaking, heartrending, miserable, lamentable, lachrymable, mournful, regrettable, rueful, sad, saddening, sorrowful, tragic, unhappy, upsetting, woebegone, woeful, blitheless, dispirited, blue, bummed out, chapfallen, cheerless, chopfallen, crestfallen, cut up, damp, depressed, despondent, disgruntled, disconsolate, disheartened, dismal, doleful, dolesome, down, down in the dumps, down in the mouth, downcast, downhearted, downsome, dull, elegiac, elegious, forlorn, gloomy, glum, grief-stricken, grieving, heavy-hearted, heartsore, heartsick, inconsolable, infelicitous, jawfallen, joyless, lachrymose, lamentful, low, low-spirited, lugubrious, lumpish, melancholic, melancholy, moody, mopey, morose, passionate, plaintive, Plutonian, Plutonic, querulous, ruthful, saddened, saturnine, shattered, solemn, sombre, sorrow-ridden, sorrowsome, spiritless, sullen, threnetic, threnetical, triste, tristful, uncheerful, uncheery, unconsolable, unlively, wistful, woe, wretched

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of an inferior or unworthy nature or social status; contemptible, lowly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The street was full of wretched beggars dressed in rags.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: base, lousy, low-grade, ass, bad, below par, bottom-shelf, BTEC, bum, cheap, cheap and nasty, cheapshit, cheesy, chintzy, coffee-and, crap, crappo, crappy, craptastic, crapperific, craptabulous, craptacular, cruddy, crummy, dogwater, drecky, flimsy, fourth-rate, gash, garbage, god-awful, inferior, low, low-quality, low-rent, made in China, mid, naughty, one-star, poor, poor man's, pound-shop, punk, rinky-dink, ropy, rubbish, sad, schlocky, scrubby, second-rate, shoddy, slazy, slight, slim, subpar, shit, shite, shitty, substandard, ticky-tacky, tenth-rate, third-rate, tin-pot, trash, trashy, under par, woeful, wretched

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature; miserable, paltry, worthless.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I just lack the fine motor skill. Same reason I'm a grown man who doesn't know how to use a screwdriver without looking like a retard. Oh, I'm wretched.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: trifling, base, contemptible, floccinaucinihilipilificatious, foolish, for the birds, futile, frivolous, idle, ignorable, immaterial, inconsequential, inconsiderable, indifferent, insignificant, like a fart in a windstorm, meager, mean, minor, miserable, negligible, nothingburger, nondescript, null, paltry, petty, picayune, picayunish, piddling, piddly, pissant, pissass, piteous, pitiful, pointless, silly, simple, slight, ticky-tacky, tin-pot, trivial, two-bit, unimportant, unweighty, vain, worthless, wretched

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner causing contempt; base, despicable, wicked.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abject, filthy, base, beggarly, blameworthy, carrion, cheap, choical, contemptible, cringing, damnable, dedecorous, degraded, deplorable, deridable, derisible, despicable, despisable, dirty, discreditable, disdainable, disgraceful, dishonorable, disreputable, execrable, groveling, hylic, hylical, ignoble, ignominious, inglorious, lame, laughable, loathsome, lousy, low, ludicrous, mean, mean-spirited, miserable, obscene, outrageous, paltry, pathetic, pissass, pitiable, pitiful, plebeian, punk, putrid, reprehensible, reprehensive, reptile, reptilian, reptitious, ridiculous, risible, roynish, scabbed, scald, scornworthy, scummy, scurvy, shabby, shameful, shit, sleazy, slavish, slimy, sordid, sorry, trashy, ugly, uncommendable, uncool, unmentionable, unwashed, unsophisticated, unworthy, vile, vulgar, weak, worthless, wretched

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Of weather: causing much discomfort; very unpleasant; miserable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Used to express annoyance towards or dislike of someone or something: bloody, damned.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

  • Will you please stop playing that wretched trombone!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blasted, bleeding

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

characterized by physical misery

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a wet miserable weekend
  • spent a wretched night on the floor

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: miserable

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

deserving or inciting pity- Galsworthy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a hapless victim
  • miserable victims of war
  • the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic
  • piteous appeals for help
  • pitiable homeless children
  • a pitiful fate
  • Oh, you poor thing
  • his poor distorted limbs
  • a wretched life

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hapless, miserable, misfortunate, pathetic, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, poor

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

morally reprehensible

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • would do something as despicable as murder
  • ugly crimes
  • the vile development of slavery appalled them
  • a slimy little liar

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: despicable, ugly, vile, slimy, unworthy, worthless

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective satellite

Meaning 10

very unhappy; full of misery

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he felt depressed and miserable
  • a message of hope for suffering humanity
  • wretched prisoners huddled in stinking cages

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: miserable, suffering

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective satellite

Meaning 11

of very poor quality or condition

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • deplorable housing conditions in the inner city
  • woeful treatment of the accused
  • woeful errors of judgment

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deplorable, execrable, miserable, woeful

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English wrecched (“(adjective) characterized by or suffering hardship or misfortune, miserable, unfortunate, unhappy; indigent, poor; of low economic or social status, lowly; (noun) miserable person”) [and other forms], from wrecche (“characterized by or suffering hardship or misfortune, miserable, unfortunate, unhappy; indigent, poor; of low economic or social status, lowly; base, contemptible, vile; reprehensible, wicked; miserly, stingy; of little importance, paltry, worthless”) (from Late Old English wrecc, from Old English wreċċa (“an exile, outcast”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“to follow, track; to hunt”)) + -ed (suffix forming adjectives). The English word is analysable as wretch (“(obsolete) wretched”, adjective) + -ed (suffix forming adjectives).

Across languages

Translations

91 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: ngratë — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Armenian: դժբախտ (džbaxt) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Azerbaijani: bədbəxt — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Bulgarian: злочест (zločest) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Bulgarian: нещастен (neštasten) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Chinese Mandarin: 可怜的 — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Czech: zoufalý — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Czech: nešťastný — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Czech: zkroušený — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Dutch: ellendig — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Estonian: õnnetu — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Finnish: kurja — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Finnish: onneton — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Finnish: surkea — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Finnish: viheliäinen — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • French: misérable — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Georgian: საბრალო (sabralo) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Georgian: საცოდავი (sacodavi) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • German: miserabel — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • German: sehr schlecht — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • German: erbärmlich — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Gothic: 𐌰𐍂𐌼𐍃 (arms) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌷𐍃 (wainahs) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Ancient Greek: ἄθλιος (áthlios) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: अभागा (abhāgā) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: निगोड़ा (nigoṛā) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: कमबख़्त (kambaxt) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: दीन (dīn) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: दुख का मारा (dukh kā mārā) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: बेहाल (behāl) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: बदबख़्त (badbaxt) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: बदक़िस्मत (badqismat) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: बदनसीब (badansīb) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: कंगाल (kaṅgāl) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: दरिद्र (daridra) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: मंदभागी (mandbhāgī) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Hindi: अक्षेम (akṣem) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Irish: aimléiseach — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Irish: aimlithe — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Irish: ainnis — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Irish: dearóil — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Latin: miser — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Macedonian: бе́ден (béden) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Macedonian: не́среќен (nésreḱen) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Māori: tūreikura — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kummerlig — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Polish: nędzny — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Portuguese: miserável — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Romanian: mizerabil — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Romanian: nenorocit — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Russian: жа́лкий (žálkij) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Russian: несча́стный (nesčástnyj) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Sanskrit: दीन (dīna) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Spanish: infeliz — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Spanish: desgraciado — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Spanish: mísero — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Ottoman Turkish: فقیر (fakir) — characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable
  • Azerbaijani: bədbəxt — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Azerbaijani: miskin — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Bulgarian: окаян (okajan) — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Bulgarian: мизерен (mizeren) — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Czech: ubohý — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Czech: bídný — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Estonian: kasutu — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Estonian: väärtusetu — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Finnish: kurja — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Finnish: pahainen — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Finnish: surkea — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • German: wertlos — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Macedonian: ми́зерен (mízeren) — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Macedonian: ни́штожен (níštožen) — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Portuguese: maldito — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Russian: убогий (ubogij) — of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature — see also worthless
  • Bulgarian: презрян (prezrjan) — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • Czech: mizerný — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • Czech: zatracený — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • Czech: zpropadený — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • Esperanto: aĉa — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • Finnish: riivattu — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • German: erbärmlich — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • Greek: άθλιος (áthlios) — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • Greek: ελεεινός (eleeinós) — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • Ancient Greek: ἄθλιος (áthlios) — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • Indonesian: laknat — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • Macedonian: клет (klet) — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • Macedonian: у́жасен (úžasen) — of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt
  • Czech: mizerný — of weather: causing much discomfort; very unpleasant — see also miserable
  • Finnish: kurja — of weather: causing much discomfort; very unpleasant — see also miserable
  • Macedonian: лош (loš) — of weather: causing much discomfort; very unpleasant — see also miserable
  • Macedonian: у́жасен (úžasen) — of weather: causing much discomfort; very unpleasant — see also miserable
  • Macedonian: о́двратен (ódvraten) — of weather: causing much discomfort; very unpleasant — see also miserable