adj Uncommon

wretched

REHT-shihd

Wretched (adj) means Extremely unhappy or in a miserable, unfortunate state. Example: “He felt wretched after losing his job and his home in the same month.”

adj

Extremely unhappy or in a miserable, unfortunate state.

"He felt wretched after losing his job and his home in the same month."

Very poor in quality; dreadful.

"The hotel room was in a wretched state, with damp walls and broken furniture."

Used to express strong annoyance or dislike, similar to "damned" or "blasted".

"I can never find that wretched remote control when I need it."

How to use wretched

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMiserable, pitiful, or of terrible quality — also used as a mild curse when something annoys you.

Common pairings

a wretched existence feel wretched wretched weather

Word forms

more wretched comparative, most wretched superlative

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He felt _____ after losing his job and his home in the same month.

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).

Origin: Middle English

Rhymes for wretched

etched outstretched

See all rhymes for wretched →

Frequently asked questions

What does “wretched” mean?

The word “wretched” means extremely unhappy or in a miserable, unfortunate state. In plain terms, miserable, pitiful, or of terrible quality — also used as a mild curse when something annoys you.

How do you pronounce “wretched”?

“Wretched” is pronounced REHT-shihd (/ˈɹɛt͡ʃəd/ in IPA).

How do you use “wretched” in a sentence?

Here is “wretched” used in a sentence: “He felt wretched after losing his job and his home in the same month.”

What part of speech is “wretched”?

“Wretched” is an adjective.

Is “wretched” a common word?

“Wretched” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “wretched” have?

“Wretched” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: extremely unhappy or in a miserable, unfortunate state.