wretched

[ rech-id ]
/ ˈrɛtʃ ɪd /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR wretched ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, wretch·ed·er, wretch·ed·est.

very unfortunate in condition or circumstances; miserable; pitiable.
characterized by or attended with misery and sorrow.
despicable, contemptible, or mean: a wretched miser.
poor, sorry, or pitiful; worthless: a wretched job of sewing.

Origin of wretched

First recorded in 1150–1200, wretched is from the Middle English word wrecchede. See wretch, -ed3

SYNONYMS FOR wretched

1 dejected, distressed, afflicted, woeful, woebegone, forlorn, unhappy.
2 Wretched, miserable, sorry refer to that which is unhappy, afflicted, or distressed. Wretched refers to a condition of extreme affliction or distress, especially as outwardly apparent: wretched hovels. Miserable refers more to the inward feeling of unhappiness or distress: a miserable life. Sorry applies to distressed, often poverty-stricken outward circumstances; but it has connotations of unworthiness, incongruousness, or the like, so that the beholder feels more contempt than pity: in a sorry plight.
3 base, vile.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR wretched ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM wretched

wretch·ed·ly, adverb wretch·ed·ness, noun un·wretch·ed, adjective

Words nearby wretched

wrest, wrest pin, wrestle, wrestling, wretch, wretched, wrexham, wrick, wrier, wriest, wriggle

Words related to wretchedness

discontent, pain, distress, agony, desolation, despondency, discomfort, grief, suffering, despair, torment, affliction, woe, anguish, sadness, depression, unhappiness, melancholia, abjection

Example sentences from the Web for wretchedness

British Dictionary definitions for wretchedness

wretched
/ (ˈrɛtʃɪd) /

adjective

in poor or pitiful circumstances
characterized by or causing misery
despicable; base
poor, inferior, or paltry
(prenominal) (intensifier qualifying something undesirable) a wretched nuisance

Derived forms of wretched

wretchedly, adverb wretchedness, noun